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Full text of "Yank, the Army Weekly, Vol. 4, No. 9: August 17, 1945"

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By  Cpl.  DEBS  MYERS 
YANK  Staff  CorrMponcknt 

GERMANY— The  people  of  Germany  who  once 
wanted  the  whole  world  now  send  their 
children  into  the  streets  to  scrounge  for 
cigarette  butts. 

Across  all  Germany  the  wreckage  of  the  great 
cities  entombs  many  thousands  of  hidden  dead. 
Wreaths  brought  by  friends  lie  in  the  rubble  as 
faded  memorials  to  those  who  died  there.  Some- 
time, months  or  perhaps  years  hence,  the  d^aA 
may  be  reburied,  although  bones  are  hard  to  rfec- 
ognize. 

The  cities  stink  in  the  hot  sun.  The  smell  seeps 
everywhere,  into  cloisters  and  vaults,  and  it  is  an 
ugly  reminder  of  old  fears  and  old  miseries. 

GIs  with  dirt-caked  boots  trample  as  conquer- 
ors through  the  Nazi  shrines  at  Munich,  Nurem- 
burg  and  Bercfatcwgaden,  where  onoe  Hitler, 
Goering  and  MtmnAer  dxeamed  of  conquest.  The 
GIs  ask  one  another  why  the  Nazis^  who  had  so 
much,  did  not  stay  at  home  initead  of  starting 
wars. 

Germany  in  the  summer  of  1945  is  a  land  of 
dead  men,  dead  cities,  dead  hopes.  A  notice 
acrawled  by  a  GI  in  chalk  on  the  walls  of  the 
bombed  Gestapo  building  in  Nuremburg  sums  it 
up:  **They  asked  for  it  and  they  got  it." 

The  soldiers  of  the  Wehrmacht,  whipped*  and 
hangdog,  come  home.  Many  of  them  can  find  no 
home,  only  rubble,  and  they  take  to  the  road 
again,  going  from  nowhere  to  nowhere. 

The  men  of  the  Wehrmacht  are  dirty,  and  their 
green -gray  uniforms  are  tattered.  They  walk 
bent  forward,  carrying  their  packs  hi^  on  their 
backs,  seldom  looking  at  the  wreckage  that /lines 
the  streets. 

They  look  with  envy  at  the  German  civilians. 
Sometimes  the  civilians  greet  the  German  sol- 
diers with  cheers  and  waves.  Usually  the  soldiers 
lock  the  other  way  and  do  not  acknowledge  the 
greeting.  Some  of  the  soldiers  seem  ashamed  that 


they  have  been  beaten.  Others  seem  reeentftll  of 
the  contrast  between  their  grime  and  the  laun- 
dered freshneae  of  the  people  at  home. 
Somehow,  despite  living  iti^^dlfiv  Mi  lyd|irt>iil 

buildings,  the  German  civilians  have  Icept  dean. 

The  girls,  in  particular,  look  out  of  place  amid 
the  debris.  They  wear  bobby  socks  and  pigtails 
with  gay  colored  ribbons.  They  wear  thin  dresses, 
and  they  are  fond  of  standing  in  the  sun. 

The  pinch  is  just  beginning  to  hit  the  German 
civilians.  They  had  been  living  for  a  long  time 
4  off  the  fat  fli  their  logted  neighbors.  From  V^rwioe, 
Norway  and  bthei?<tountries,  they  stocked  their 
cellars  and  their  closets.  They  acquired  line 
knickknacks.  For  a  while,  war  was  a  lucraUve 
business,  like  burglary. 

Now  the  Germans  can  no  longer  obtain  clothes, 
and  food  is  hard  to  come  by.  There  had  been 
.  few  cigarettes  and  virtually  no  candy  for  a  long 
time,  but  there  was  adequate  meat  and  plenty 
of  vegetables  and  potatoes.  Now,  under  the  Allies, 
the  food  is  more  equitably  and  more  rigidly 
rationed.  People  of  suspect  faiths,  who  did  well 
to  eat  under  the  Nazis,  now  eat  as  much  as  other 
people  in  Grermany.  For  thousands  of  fsmriilies. 
formerly  accustomed  to  favors,  there  is  less  food 
than  before.  Germans  in  most  areas  have  a  piece 
of  meat  as  big  as  a  nickel  hamburger  once  a 
week,  and  they  have  a  few  ounces  of  butter 
maybe  once  a  month.  The  lush  pickings  are  over. 

Allied  rationing  provides  a  maximum  of  500 
calories  per  day  for  the  normal  German  con- 
sumer, compared  with  the  4,000  calories  a  day 
which  the  American  soldier  on  strenuous  dilty  is 
supposed  to  get. 


As  yet,  the  effect  of  this  restriction  is  not' evi- 
dent on  the  Germans.  They  look  healthy  and 
well-fed.  The  real  pio^  will  come  next  winter 
when  the  stolen  stocks  in  the  pantries  are  ex- 
hausted. 

That  is  one  reason  why  the  Germans  are  eager 
to  make  friends  with  the  American  soldiers. 
Germans  have  seen  that  the  GIs  are 
with  their  rations,  and  the  Germans  are  oldi 
at  eating  other  people's  food. 

Emotionally  the  Germans  are  numbed.  For  12 
years  they  had  been  stimulated  with  the  heady 
tonic  that  they  were  born  to  rule  the  world.  They 
watched  their  armies  spread  like  a  dark  plague 
from  the  English  Channel  to  the  gates  of  Moscow. 
Now  their  armies  are  reduced  to  groups  of  strag- 
glers, homeless  on  the  countryside,  and  their  con- 
victions of  superiority  seem  to  have  blown  away 
with  the  walls     their  homes. 

The  Germans  appear  to  live  in  an  emotional ' 
vacuum,  by  their  own  wish.  They  show  no  signs 
of  thinkmg  beyond  tomorrow  and  tomorrow's 
meal.  There  was  the  time  when  they  boasted: 
"Tomorrow  the  world."  Now  they  are  eager  to  - 
grub  a  handout. 

Bemhard  Schaejer,  a  SZ-year-old  grocer  of 
Cologne,  presents  a  typical  German  attitude. 

"Once  we  xi;anted  glory,"  he  said,  "now  we 
want  only  bread.  The  world  has  come  down 
around  our  ears.  We  no  longer  know  what  to 
think  about  anything.  We  are  too  tired  to  think, 
and  when  we  think,  our  thoughts  are  not 
pleasant." 

The  Germans  know  what  hunger  is.  After  all, 
for  more  than  four  years  the  Germans  watched 
while  the  slave-laborers  went  hungry.  The  quest 
for  conquest  has  become  a  quest  for  food  and 
forgetfulness.  The  Germans  apparently  cultivate 
their  short  memories  as  some  people  cultivate 
gacidtimi  Tliejr  do  not  want  their  meals  disturbed 
hy  memories  of  Dachau  and  Buchenwald. 

This  quest  for  forgetfulness  must  come  easy. 
For  12  years  the  Germans  schooled  themselves 
in  self-deception.  Now  in  this  summer  of  1945, 
the  Germans  you  meet  in  the  shops  and  the 
street  say  again  and  again  that  they  knew 
nothing  of  the  tortures  of  Dachau  and  Buchen- 
•^9il^[Prohahty  many  ol  them  did  not.  But  all  of  . 
theMT'-since  1993,  had  seen  Jews  beaten,  the 
unions  crushed,  the  Communists  killed,  their 
Social-Democrat  neighbors  disappear,  editors  as- 
sassinated, priests  hounded  from  the  pulpit.  They 
saw  these  things  and  judged  it  wise  or  convenient 
to  look  the  other  way. 

The  Germans  learned  early  under  Hitler  that 
the  penalty  of  protest  was  high.  Some  Germans;^ 
of  faith  and  courage  did  protest  They  went  to^ 
concentration  camps.  Many  did  not  come  back. 
Some  of  those  who  came  back  had  been  castrated. 
Some  came  back  with  their  eyes  gouged  out  The 
Germans  learned  early  to  take  a  hint.  BesideSi.i^ 
tiihes  were  good  in  those  days.  Everyone  vn0f^ 
busy  making  guns. 

So  for  12^  years,  the-  Gerroant-ipfracticed  self-  ^ 
deception,  as  some  nations  practice  frugality.  U^.i 


The  land  is  scattered  with  the  wreckage  of  the 
New  Order  that  fell  inward  on  its  rotten  core,' 
and  the  remnants  of  the  Wehrmacht  come  back 
to  streets  patrolled  by  Russian,  Yank  and  British 
uniforms.  Slowly,  some  Germans  ore  learning  of 
their  post  guilt  and  their  present  problems. 


Original  fnom 
UNIVERSITY  OF  MICh" 


jwople  are  not  going  to  he  enslaved.  H  h\  '^  » 
,ur..n  ^lovrry.        "  "  f      '"---O  for  , hem  ,o  earn  ,Heir  uTV  ^ 

t^reUeved  of, luu  burden  f<nerer.  ^ 


•ooseveiT.,, 

T  rifiiTir-'ii  '^•-r  1*44 


^g^onMind  o  U.  $.  »"»•>  •»  *•  M  Armorwl  DMtiM. 


was  easier,  and  safer,  to  look  the  other  way.  Now 
each  German  says  he  was  not  to  blame  for  what 
happened.  A  few  are  arrogant,  most  are  abject, 
but  none  displays  a  sense  of  guilt.  The  big  Nazis 
blaoM  the  mtte  Mazif.  The  little  Nazis  blame  the 
big^  Nazis.  The  Germans  who  weren't  party  mem- 
bers say  all  they  wanted  was  a  little  butter  for 
their  bread. 

When  the  Americans  first  came,  the  Germans 
hid  in  their  homes.  They  had  heard  Goebbels 
warn  again  and  again  that  the  Americans  would 
murder  the  men  and  rape  the  women.  Instead  the 
Americans  played  with  the  German  kids,  looked 
"•"^JatfuUy  at  the  German  girls,  and  helped  old 
Germans  when  their  carts  broke  down. 

Now  the  Germans  have  come  from  their  homes, 
and  the  Americans  can  get  a  full  look  at  them. 
It  is  a  little  disturbing  to  the  GIs.  Germans  look 
like  other  people.  Put  them  in  Trenton,  N.  J.,  and 
you  wouldn't  know  they  were  Germans. 

Germans  know  how  to  work.  They  patch  bomb- 
tora  houses,  tidy  up  cellars,  shovel  the  wreckage 
from  streets.  In  a  matter  o<  weeks,  or  sometimes 


days,  they  bring  order,  even  neatness,  to  cities 
that  were  twisted  masses  of  rubble. 

Already  the  Germans  are  picking  up  the 
threads  of  their  old  existence.  Some  work  in  fac- 
tories. They  swim  at  the 'beaches.  On  Sunday 
they  walk  in  the  parks,  carefully  skirting  the 
bomb  craters.  People  get  married. 

The"  women  stand  in  long  lines  before  the 
German-owned  stores.  They  show  their  ration 
cards  and  make  their  purchases  with  German 
money.  Usually  the  stores  have  little  to  sell. 

Most  of  the  Germans  had  money  in  the  banks, 
and  many  are  now  living  off  this  money.  Only  a 
comparatively  few  have  jobs.  Those  with  neither 
money  nor  jobs  appeal  to  the  buergermeister, 
and  the  Military  (Government  leaves  it  up  to 
him  as  to  how  these  people  shall  be  helped.  Most 
of  the  retuming  men  of  the  Wehnnacht  are 
forced  to  appeal  to  the  bxtLergermeigter  for  money, 
and  they  do  it  sullenly. 

The  money  and  property  of  the  Nazi  leaders 
and  the  Nazi  sub-leaders  have  been  frozen.  These 


Digiiized  by 


300  marks  a 'month,  with  an  additional  50  marks 

a  month  for  each  dependent  up  to  four  depen- 
dents. 

In  other  words,  a  Nazi  boss,  or  sub-boss,  with 
lour  or  more  children,  could  have  500  marks  a 

month.  One  mark  is  now  equal  to  10  cents  in 

American  money.  This  would  give  such  a  Nazi 
an  equivalent  of  $50  a  month.  Most  of  the  Nazis 
in  this  category  are  in  Allied  cages,  and  money 
is  no  longer  a  problem  with  them.  They  have 
bigger  worries. 

Most  of  the  little  Nazis  are  content  to  stay  out 
of  sight  Some  have  been  returned  to  administra- 
tive jobs  in  municipal  governments  with  the  per- 
mission of  the  Military  Government.  In  some 
cities,  leaders  of  the  Military  Government  have 
given  the  Nazis  important  jobs  on  the  policy 
force.  The  Nazis,  it  seems,  make  efficieiit  police- 
men. They  have  carried  clubs  before. 

There  was  the  traffic  policeman  in  Leipzig  who 
shook  by  the  collar  an  old  man  who  was  crossing 
street  on  a  bicycle.  The  old  man  said  he  was 


I  can  withdrair  from  the  bank  not  more  thi^^-j  i^^f^^[^<f  f^fff^  ^^^^  ^  poltccnum  tell  him  to 

jmOO^  IC  UWIVERSITV OF  MICHIGAN  . 


YANK  fib*  Army  WmMtfy  •  AUOUSf  17,  IMS 


o 
o 
cn 

6 
Q. 


o 


stop.  The  people  on  the  sidewalks  beamed  and 
•nodded  approvingly  as  the  policeman  shook  the 
M  man.  They  Mid  to  each  other  that  this  police^ 
man  icould  tolerate  no  SooUshness. 

The  Germans  have  yielded  to  authority  for  a 
I0119  time,  and  there  has  been  only  isolated  re- 
sistance to  Allied  administration.  An  American 
sentry  was  found  stabbed  to  death  near  Halle.  A 
few  Allied  soldiers  have  been  fired  upon  at  night. 
In  Bremen,  an  eocplosion  destroyed  a  section  of 
the  police  station,  which  also  housed  the  Counter- 
intelligence  Corps  and  the  Military  Government 
safety  offices.  Six  Americans  and  a  larger  num- 
ber of  Germans  were  killed.  The  explosion  was 
attributed  to  a  delayed  demolition  planted  by 
Nazis.  The  police  force,  at  the  time  of  the  blast, 

tn  the  Schlawfg-Hbktefn  area,  SO  Genhaiir 

were  arrested  for  having  arms  in  their  possession. 
They  face  possible  death  sentences.  Throughout 
Germany,  12  other  Germans  already  have  been 
executed  for  concealing  weapons. 

Authorities  say  there  is  no  evidence  of  an  or- 
ganized Nazi  underground.  There  are  Nazi  fanat- 
ics sUll  loooe  who  wiU  sabotage  and  kiU  when 
they  can.  But  the  Nazi  leaders  are  dead,  in  jail 
or  missing;  the  people,  for  a  while  at  least,  are 
tired  of  war,  and  the  Allies  by  execution  and 
prison  sentences  have  made  it  plain  that  they 
mean  business. 

WHETHER  the  German  resistance  could  become 
formidable  in  the  future,  the  Allied  autlion- 
ties  say,  depends  on  many  things:  how  well  we 
govern;  how  well  we  supplant  the  Nazi  ideologies 
with  new  ideals;  how  well  we  control  the  fanat- 
ics and  how  effectively  we  get  tough  when  tough- 
ness is  necessary.  The  German  people  were 
taiii^t  for  12  years  that  the  democracies  are 
weak,  and  now  they  are  watching  for  signs  of 


The  German  children  watch  the  men  of  the 
Wehrmacht  trudging  back  through  the  ruined 
cities;  but  the  German  children  still  play  soldier. 
They  build  pillboxes  and  forts  in  the  fields.  When 
German  boys  go  to  the  beach,  they  often  march. 
They  drill  with  broomsticks.  They  count  boyish 
cadence.  It  seems  incredible  to  the  GIs,  weary  of 
discipline,  but  the  Germans  like  to  do  things  by 
the  numbers. 

Both  the  children  and  the  adults  still  Ulk  of 
Hitler.  The  Hitler  legends,  adroitly  nourished  by 
Goebbels  before  the  Nazis  came  to  power,  still 
flourish. 

There  are  many  Germans,  particularly  those  in 
Bavaria,  who,  denying  they  are  Nazis,  will  attest 
fervently  to  their  affection  for  Hitler.  He  was  a 
good  man,  they  say  piously,  who  was  misled  by 
bad  advisors.  Most  of  tboe  people  believe  that 
Hitler  went  into  the  streets  of  Berlin  with  the 
comely  fraulein,  Eva  Braun,  at  his  side,  volun- 
tarily seeking  death  and  that  they  died  together 
of  Russian  artillery  fire.  These  '  Germans  sigh 
gustily  whnn  they  tell  the  story.  Such  Germans 
arc  5uckt  I  S  for  any  story  that's  hammy  enough. 

The  people  on  the  west  side  of  the  Rhine, 
aromid  Aachen  and  Duren,  doubt  that  Hitler  is 
d^id.  They  suspect  he  is  in  hiding.  These  people 
say  that  Hitler  is  a  criminal.  They  express  a 
preference  for  Goering.  They  .say  that  Goering 
is  an  earthy,  jolly  fellow.  You  get  the  idea; 
whimsical  old  Hermann,  the  Coventry  kid. 

One  reason  why  the  people  west  of  the  Rhine 
look  with  apparent  jaundice  on  Hitler  is  that 
they  have  been  under  Allied  rule  longer  than 
any  area  in  Germany.  They  suspect  that  Hitler 
may  be  through  for  good.  Germans  never  did 
have  much  use  for  a  loser. 

In  the  last  days  of  Hitler's  regime,  when  the 
Nazi  empire  was  collapsing  under  the  great  blows 
from  the  east  and  west.  Hitler  warned  that  he 
would  leave  the  conquerers  of  Germany  nothing 
but  "rats,  ruins  and  epidemi<?."  For  once,  in  a 
lifetime  dedicated  to  lying.  Hitler  told  a  half- 
truth. 

The  ruins  are  there.  The  buildings  lie  beaten  to 
the  groQnd,  or  stand  like  gutted  skeletons,  street 
after  street  of  them.  Factories  which  once  poured 
out  a  gushing  stream  of  the  tools  of  war  nov^ 
sprawl  in  grotesque  heaps  of  bla.§ted  walls,  bent 
girders,  shattered  machinery.  It  seems  at  first 
that  all  Germany  is  a  demolished  jigsaw  puzzle 
that  never  can  be  put  together  again. 

Yet  closer  inspection  shows  there  are  hundreds, 
probably  thousands,  of  plants,  big  ones  and  little 
oiMi»  and  taaay  more  thouaimds  hom^  that 
were  aeart^  damaged*  or  damaged  not  at  aU. 

The  main  Ko^yp  plant  at  Rheinhausen,  for  ex- 
ample, is  barely  touched.  The  same  is  true  of  the 


great  steel  factory  at  Wetzler.  Some  factories  al- 
ready are  producing  in  Leipzig. 

There  are  tremendous  stocks  of  many  raw  ma- 
terials, particularly  steel  and  aluminum.  German 
industrialists  are  eager  to  get  ahead  with  produc- 
tion, the  production  of  almost  anything.  They 
say,  and  they  wink  knowingly,  that  they  could 
forge  fine  weapons  for  the  Allies  to  use  against 
Japan. 

It  is  a  safe  bet  that  the  industrialists  never  will 
get  the  chance  to  make  the  guns.  American  mem- 
ories are  too  long.  The  Germans  have  an  unhappy 
habit  of  forgetting  when  to  quit  making  guns. 

So  far,  the  resumption  of  work  in  factories  has 
been  slow,  1^  necessity.  It  is  a  many-sided  prob- 
lem, complicated  by  inadequate  and  sometimes 
paralysed  tnm^mttMi&im^  a^UEIing  piiwilatiniii, 
equipment  shortages,  dozens  of  Other  handicaps. 
Anything  resembling  prewar  living  is  a  long  way 
off  in  Germany.  Some  German  economists  say 
that  it  will  not  return  for  25  years,  maybe  50 
years.  In  some  cities  it  looks  as  though  it  would 
take  25  years  to  haul  away  the  rubbish. 

Hitler  said  that  he  would  leave  epidemics  and 
rats.  There  are  rats  even  in  Frankfurt-Am-Main, 
where  SHAEF  Forward  had  been  located,  and 
where  any  but  the  most  audacious,  militarily  dis- 
courteous rats  would  have  been  frightened  away 
quickly  by  the  shimmering  brass  and  the  im- 
peccable braid. 

There  is  also  disease— ^e  disease  that  fotk>ws 
rats,  typhus. 

Since  the  occupation  began,  there  have  been 
11,234  cases  in  254  communities  in  Allied-occupied 
areas,  "pie  disease  has  been  most  prevalent  in 
the  concentration  camps  and  in  the  displaced 
persons  assembly  areas.  There  has  been  virtually 
no  typhus  among  tbe  lAlMcd  troopt  hegaugc  of 
their  '^shots'*  and  their  relative  freedom  from 
disease-ridden  lice. 

New  cases  of  typhus  have  occurred  in  only  a 
few  instances  after  Allied  authorities  took  over 
in  an  epidemic  area.  Effeetive  control  of  the 
disease  has  been  maintabied  1^  deknising,  isola- 
tion and  immunization. 

Typhus  was  under  way  in  Germany  befbre  the 
collapse  of  the  German  arfnies.  Spread  of  the 
disease  was  accelerated  by  the  movement  of  dis- 
placed persons  and  political  prisoners  behind  the 
German  tines  with  inadequate  medical  control. 

Allied  medical  authorities  moved  fast,  and  are 
pleased  with  the  results.  They  say  that  the  pros- 
pects for  little  typhus  next  winter  —  the  real 
typhus  season  —  are  encouraging. 

The  prospects  for  crops  are  good.  too.  The 
harvest  of  wheat,  barley  and  rye  has  started  in 
some  areas.  The  fields  are  abundant  and  well- 
tended,  much  like  fields  in  Iowa  and  Kansas. 
Acreage  is  normal. 

Women  and  children  help  with  the  harvest 
Neighbors  help  each  other.  Occasionally  a  farmer 
or  a  horse  will  be  blown  up  by  a  mine.  The  others 


become  more  careful,  but  the  harvest  goes  on. 
The  Germans  are  used  to  casualties. 

Many  of  the  Germans  have  gardens  that  the 
GIs  call  "defeat  gardens.**  There  are  plenty  of 
fresh  vegetables.  The  vegetables  are  a  boon  to 
the  Germans,  with  their  reduced  diet.  The  C5er- 
mans  worry  and  grumble  some,  about  whitt  will 
happen  when  the  vegetables  give  out. 

A  Military  Government  official  explained: 
•There  is  a  lot  of  coal.  We  want  the  Germans 
tc  dig  it.  A  healthy  German  who  isn't  starving 
can  dig  a  lot  more  coal  than  a  sick  German  Our 
purpose  is  to  produce  more  coal,  not  fat  Ger- 
mans." 

THE  Germans  on  the  farms  feel  sorry  for  the 
Germans  in  the  cities.  These  rural  Germans 

doubt  that  some  of  the  cities  ever  will  be  re- 
built. They  think  Germany  will  be  a  nation  of 
villages  and  small  towns. 

The  following  summary  indicates  what  the  war 
has  done  to  some  representative  German  cities: 
LEIPZIG — A  few  industrial  plants  ase  back  in  op- 
eration in  Leipzig,  manufactiutog  clothes  and 
articles  used  for  sanitation.  None  of  the  oil^ 
major  plants  has  been  restored  to  produc^on. 
Leipzig  is  estimated  to  be  from  15  to  35  percent 
destroyed.  The  pre-war  populaticm  of  lOS^OOO  has 
fallen  to  535,000. 

The  streetcars  have  been  running  since  April 
24,  four  days  after  the  city  was  cleared-  of  Ger- 
mans. Most  homes  have  electricity  and  gas.  Fifty 
trains  a  day  run  into  Leipzig. 

There  is  a  rumor  among  the  GIs  that  in  the 
famous  Leipzig  zoo  the  animals  are  so  hungry 
they  are  eating  one  another.  This  is  not  true.  The 
animals  are  eating  horse  meat  and  look  well  fed. 


Some  citizens,  afrnid  of  faiiig  1    ,  , 
favor  killing  the  animali  iii  the  zob  and  saving 

the  horse  meat. 

MUNICH — In  the  long  room  in  the  Fuehrer's  house 
in  Munich,  where  Hitler,  Benito  Mussolim,  Nev- 
ille Chamberlain  and  Edouard  Daladier  signed 
the  notorious  pact  of  Munich,  GIs  hunch  down 
in  the  upholstered  chairs  and  talk  about  dis- 
charge points.  At  the  table  where  Hitler,  Musso- 
lini, Chamberlain  and  Daladier  ceremoniously 
affixed  their  signatures  to  a  document  that  was 
to  assure  "peace  in  our  time,"  Capt.  Wade  H. 
Logan  Jr..  commander  df  Battery  A,  571st  AA  Bn, 
signs  passes  handed  to  him  by  1st  Sgt.  The<idore 
Wrobel.  The  room  is  now  battery  headquarters, 
and  the  Americans  there  are  more  interested  in 
going  home  than  they  are  in  rehashing  what  may 
have  happened  in  this  same  room  long  ago. 

Paint  is  peeling  off  the  ceiling.  An  Ml  leans 
against  the  fireplace,  which  has  a  bronze  plate 
with  "A.  H."  in  6-inch  letters.  Helmet  liners  are 
aeattered  on  the  ebairs.  The  mm  aexl  door, 
Where  Nazi  henchmen  Waited  Rider's  cal^  b  now 
a  GI  barber  shop. 

Unofficial  estimates  place  the  damage  in  the 


YANK  Th9  Army  W—My  •  AUGUST  17,  1945 


center  of  Munich  at  75  percent.  The  outskirts 
escaped  with  far  less  damage.  The  population 
has  dropped  to  600,000  from  the  pre-war  figure 
of  800,000. 

KASSEir- Kassel  smelb  of  death.  There  are  thou- 
sands txf  pmtaom  still  buried  in  the  wreckafe, 
trapped  there  when  the  air-raid  sirens  mysteri- 
ously failed  to  warn  that  the  planes  were  coming. 

The  damage  in  Kassel  is  estimated  at  from  75 
to  90  percent.  The  city's  prewar  population  of 
250,000  has  shrunk  to  80,000.  The  streetcars  have 
been  running  since  April  15,  two  weeks  after  the 
capture  of  the  city.  Most  homes  have  electricity 
and  water. 

coioONi— A  sign  sticking  from  the  rubble  in  the 

main  street  of  Cologne  states:  "Give  me  five 
years  and  you  will  not  recognize  Germany."  It  is 
signed  by  Adolph  Hitler.  It  is  estimated  that 
Cologne  is  75  percent  destroyed.  The  city's  fa- 
mous cathedral*  only  slightly  damaged,  towers 
high  above  the  wreckage.  The  population  of 
ColQffie  is  150,000,  more  than  600^000  under  the 
prewar  mark. 

BREMEN  —  The  port  is  being  repaired  to  supply 
Allied  occupation  troops.  The  city  itself  is  about 
50  percent  destroyed.  The  dock  area  and  most  of 
the  business  district  are  smashed.  The  population 
has  fallen  from  350,000  to  200,000.  Deaths  from 
bombing  were  estimated  at  5,000. 
■MMiwiCK— It  18  estimated  unofficially  that  fewer 
than  400  buildings  are  undamaged  in  the  main 
section  of  this  mani^facturing  city.  The  great 
raids  of  October  1944  killed  approximately  3,000 
persons,  with  1,200  casualties  in  one  raid  alone. 

WHZRB  have  the. hundreds  of  thousands  of  per- 
sons missing  from  the  cities  gone?  Many  are 
dead;  some  are  in  the  Allied  cages  as  prisoners; 
many  went  to  small  towns  in  hope  of  escaping  the 
bombing. 

The  refugees  to  the  smaller  towns  are  coming 
back  now,  some  riding  in  wagons  and  some  push- 
ing wheelbarrows.  Like  the  returning  men  of  the 
Wehrmacht  they  find  often  that  their  homes  are 
gone  and  their  neighbors'  homes  are  gone,  too. 
Many  times  the  neighbors  are  gone.  There  are 
wreaths  in  the  rubble  serving  notice  that  some  of 
the  neighbors  will  not  be  back. 

Can  anything  be  done  about  ex(>editing  democ- 
racy in  Germany?  No  one  knows  all  the  answers, 
.  but  among  the  people  who  deal  with  the  Germans 
the  closest — officers,  enlisted  men,  civilians,  psy- 
chologists, doctors,  interrogators,  administrators, 
men  in  dozens  of  jobs — there  is  a  suiprising 
agreement  on  some  points. 

These  men  do  not  pose  as  experts.  They  base 
their  opinions  on  their  own  experience  of  recent 
months.  They  don't  pretend  to  have  all  the  an- 
swers, or  even  most  of  them.  But  they  think  it 
would  be  plain  horse-sense  to  review  our  hand- 


ling  of  some  German  problems,  and  to  try  to 

correct  old  mistakes. 

These  men,  usually  interviewed  one  at  a  time, 
urged: 

1.  That  the  young  Nazis  be  separated  from  the 
•older  Nazis  in  the  AUied  cages.  The  young  Nazis 
often  show  unmistakable  coaching  by  their  older 

companions.  Many  Americans  felt,  further,  that 
the  ardor  and  stamina  of  the  young  Nazis  brew 
dangerously  with  the  cunning  of  the  veteran 
party  members. 

2.  That  all  effort  be  made  to  prevent  any  one 
German  political  group  from  monopolizing  the 
administrative  jobs  in  the  cities.  Liberal  and  le^-.' 
wing  groups  in  Germany  voice  increasing  resent- 
ment against  what  they  term  the  preference  of 
some  Allied  officials  for  members  of  the  Centrist, 
or  right  center,  party. 

3.  That  liaison  be  tightened  between  Counter- 
intelligence and  Military  Government.  One  CIC 
officer  told  of  being  introduced  to  a  man  who  had 
been  ehosen  by  the  Military  Government  as 
huergermeisteT  and  finding  the  man  was  a  former 
SA  captain  whom  he  had  been  hunting  for  two 
days. 

4.  That  the  Allied  participation  in  the  re-edu- 
cation of  Germany  be  assigned  to  the  highest- 
type  men  and  women  available,  even  though  they 
must  be  persuaded  and  pressured  into  taking 
these  hard  jobs  at  a  sacrifice.  The  Americans  who 
were  interviewed  emphasized  that  the  Germans, 
through  schools,  newspapers,  radios,  all  media 
of  information,  must  not  only  be  told  the  truth 
of  what  is  happening  in  the  world — they  must  be 
told,  simply  and  effectively,  of  what  has  hap- 
pened for  12  years.  "If  hacks  handle  this  job," 
said  a  Military  Government  man,  "then  we're 
wetting  away  whatever  chance  there  is  to  make 
decent  human  beings  out  of  the  Germans." 

5.  That  amplification  be  made  of  the  American 
economic  policy  in  Germany.  Many  American  of- 
ficials seemed  unclear  on  how  far  they  should 
proceed  in  permitting  factories  to  reopen,  and 
what  factories  would  receive  priorities — particu- 
larly factories  owned  by  proved  Nazis.  Until  now 
the  Allies  have  been  occupied  largely  in  getting 
the  necessary  utilities  back  in  business. 

6.  That  more  stringent  precautions  be  taken 
to  keep  Nazis  out  of  administrative  jobs,  or  any 
kind  of  jobs,  in  the  municipal  governments  in 
Germany.  And  that  no  Nazi  ever,  be  appointed 
unless  there  w^as  no  other  qualified  man  for  the 
job.  Many  Americans  close  to  the  situation  felt 
that  the  U.  S.  had  lost  stature  in  its  advocacy  of 
democracy  by  turning  to  the  Nazis  for  help  in 
some  cities. 

These  were  on-the-spot  opinions  by  men  trying 
to  do  a  job.  The  Snal  answers  will  be  written 
much  later,  by  his  -orians. 

The  sun  sUMted  down  on  the  people  gathered 

<,         at  Ifta  Pert  0«ic  «  Mtw  Y* 


M.  r.,  Mid^  fto  Act  W 


silently  in  the  park,  and  etched  the  lettering  on 
a  gray  tombstone,  which  seemed  oddly  out  of 
place  amid  the  pleasant  trees.  The  inscription  on 
the  tombstone  stated:  "Here  lie  seven  victims  of 
the  Gestapo.  This  memorial  recalls  Germany's 
most  shameful  time,  1933-1945." 

A  gaunt  man  with  a  lined  face  stood  beside  the 
heaped  mounds  of  dirt,  looking  at  the  people  who 
stood  before  him.  Beyond  the  people  and  all  sides 
of  them  sprawled  the  bombed  buildings  and  the 
bomb-*pttted  streets  ^of -Cologne.  The  man  was 
Hermann  Ziller,  an  anti-fascist.  He  had  just  come 
home  to  Cologne,  back  from  Buchenwald  Con- 
centration Camp. 

"'No  man,"  said  Hermann  Ziller  "knows  the 
'identity  of  the  seven  persons  buried  here.  They 
were  found  tortured  to  death  at  Gestapo  head- 
quarters. Now  these  people  have  been  brought 
here  for  decent  burial,  as  a  living  remimder  of 
the  depths  to  toHich  our  people  have  stink." 

Hermann  Ziller  was  pale  and  grave  as  he  made 
his  speech  in  the  park,  and  he  spoke  very  slowly, 
as  though  he  wanted  every  word  to  be  simple 
and  plain. 

"Too  many  Germans  watched  the  horror  grow 

and  did  nothing,"  he  said.  "We  were  saved  at 
the  last  by  men  of  good  will  from  other  lands. 
It  may  be  that  our  people  will  be  hated  wher- 
ever they  walk  for  halj  a  century  to  come. 

"Yet  before  we  Germans  are  doomed  forever 
as  outcasts  unfit  for  the  company  of  good  men, 
I  hope  that'  the  people  of  other  lands  will  re» 
member  that  the  risks  of  fighting  Hitler,  were 
torture  and  death.  This  is  a  hard  choice  to  mal^e. 
Let  ynen  of  all  lands  search  their  own  sottis-— 
would  they  have  risen  in  their  own  countries 
against  their  own  leaders  and  risked  beatings, 
castration  and  death? 

"As  an  old  anti-fascist,  as  a  fighter  for  the 
people,  I  made  no  excuses  for  the  shan^e  of  ^ 
Germany.  Too  many  of  our  people  did  not  stand 
up  when  the  time  came  to  be  counted.  The  people 
of  Germany  must  admit  this  shame  to  themselves, 
and  only  then  will  they  be  ready  to  start  the 
road  back." 

GERMANY  in  the  summer  of  1945  is  a  guilty 
land  trying '  to  hide  from  its  own  guilt. 
Freed  Russian  slave  laborers  ride  through  the 
broken  cities,  red  flags  rippling  from  their  trucks. 
The  Russians  sing  their  hoarse  marching  songs, 
and  raise  their  right  arms,  their  fists  clenched. 
When  the  Russians  do  this,  the  Goinans  look  the 
other  way. 

Germany  is  a  land  where  Hermann  Ziller,  a 
man  of  good  will,  walks  side  by  side  with  Ger- 
man women  who  once  came  from  their  homes 
and  threw  scalding  water  on  American  soldiers 

wounded  in  the  snow. 
■ 

 IV   kl   W   —  * — **-  -  —  *  -    '  ■  ■  '    **     '    *       .ii  - 

Mth  9,  tm.  Swbmrlfthm  ^ffca  SSJ0  ymHf.  PriMW  In  Hm  tf.  S.  A 


O 

o 
cn 

6 
Q. 

0) 


O 


YANK  riM  Army  W—kfy  •  AUGUST  17,  1945 


o 
o 

6 

CD 


Rescue  from  Shangri-La 


A  Woe  corporal,  Ci  fodi  MrgMnl  cmd 
o  looey  survived  a  plane  crash  and 
spent  45  days  in  Dutch  New  Guinea's 

m^J  *-  -  '  ill  mtm 

ffiNNMn  wiivy  wnifw  iiivii 


Bf  sgff.  on  sr. 

YANK  Siciff  CoivMpoiidl#iit 

H'oLLANDiA,  Dutch  New  Guinva  — Life  went 
out  of  its  way  to  copy  a  gradc-B  movie 
when  a  C-47  of  the  Far  EUist  Air  Service 
Command  crashed  in  the  Oranje  mountain  range 
here,  killing  most  of  its  crew  and  passengers  and 
leaving  for  survivors  only  1st  Lt.  John  McCollom 
of  Trenton,  Mo.;  T/Sgt  Kenneth  Decker  of  Kelso, 
Wash^  and  pretty  Wac  CpL  ICargaret  Haitings  of 
Oswego,  N.  Y.  Perfect  ingredients  for  a  boy- 
meets-girl-meets-boy  triangle  in  Shangri-La. 

From  the  crash  on  in,  however,  the  scenario 
refused  to  conform  to  pattern.  The  sergeant  did 
not  try  to  shoot  the  lieutenant  nor  did  the  lieu- 
tenant attempt  to  strangle  the  sergeant  in  the 
'dilad  of  night,  all  over  the  affections  of  Cpl. 
Hastings,  pleastantly  nicknamed  Suzy.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  blunt  fact,  Suzy  was  sick  as  a  dog  from 
•  bums  suffered  in  the  crash  and  there  was  no- 
where for  her  to  get  either  the  sarong  or  the  per- 
manent that  are  necessary  to  the  proper  Holly- 
wood treatment  And  she  and  the  sergeant  (he 
.  was  also  also  burned  severely)  and  the  lieutenant, 
wh^  they  weren't  occupied  in  such  prosaic  tasks 
as  nursing  each  other,  bent  their  full  efforts  to- 
ward getting  the  hell  out  of  their  made-to-order 
Technicolor  setting. 

The  valley  where  they  landed  was,  in  the  first 
place,  something  of  a  mystery.  It  was  marked 
VMBOumMD  on  the  maps  and  had  been  first  ob- 
served from  the  air  by  Col.  Ray  T.  Elsmore  of 
Palo  Alto,  Calif.,  a  command  pilot  who  passed 
over  it  while  making  a  survey  flight.  Photo 
squadrons  followed  hot  upon  Col.  Elsmore's  heels 
to  find  out  more  about  the  new  territory.  Their 
observation  showed  that  it  was  heavily  popu- 
lated, by  natives  smart  enough  to  have  drained 
■wamp  areas  and  cultivated  reclaimed  ground. 
Tlie  valley,  complete  with  villages  and  scattered 
native  huts,  proved  to  stretch  about  20  miles  long 
and  four  wide.  It  lies  beyond  the  hump  of  the 
Oranje  Range  at  an  altitude  of  about  5,000  feet. 

Stories  immediately  sprang  up  about  a  lost 
civilization.  The  natives  were  supposed  to  be  7 
feet  tall  and  almost  white.  In  spite  of  the  rough 
ij^^  emmamt  more  and  more  plaaei  wm  mmn 
to  have  another  look  at  the  hidden  valley  and 
make  their  own  guesses  at  its  true  story.  The 
C-47  that  crashed  was  on  one  of  these  trips. 

Decker,  McCollom  ^pd  Suzy  were  all  in  the 
fear  o<  tbe  wgo  compartment  when  the  plane 
I  to  aet  lip  («  mechanical  faUure  was  later 


blamed  for  the  crash).  It  tangled  with  some  tree 
tops,  smashed  into  the  ground  and  burst  into 
flames.  Decker,  McCollom  and  Suzy  were  the 
only  ones  who  managed  to  struggle  dear  of  the 

burning  wreckage.  Still  dazed — Decker  .and  Suzy 
were  badly  burned — they  went  back  to  the  burn- 
ing plane  and  pulled  clear  two  other  Wacs,  both 
beyond  the  meager  aid  the  three  earlier  survivors 
could  give  them.  They  died  on  the  tarpaulins 
where  Decker,  McCollom  and  Suzy  had  laid  them 
after  dragging  them  from  the  plaae. 

And  Decker  and  McCollom  and  Suzy  were 
alone  beside  a  charred  C-47  in  a  valley  marked 
UNEXPLORED  on  all  the  maps. 

Lt.  McCollom  had  managed  to  save  some  mor- 
phine (quickly  exhausted  on  the  two  Wac  fatali- 
ties) and  some  hard  candy  and  13  canteens  of 
water  from  the  wreclc  They  stuck  by  the  spot 
where  they  had  crashed  for  the  first  two  dasrs 
while  Decker's  and  Suzy*s  bums  healed  some- 
what. The  second  night  they  heard  natives  calling 
to  each  other  near  them  and  they  reviewed  in 
their  minds  the  rumors  they  had  heard  about 
head  hunters  in  the  valley.  It  rained  all  Monday, 
night,  and  Tuesday,  the  third  day,  they  set  off  to 
see  if  they  could  find  a  clearing  lower  down  the 
valley  where  they  would  stand  a  better  chance  of 
being  spotted  from  the  air.  They  moved  slowly 
and  ate  their  hard  candy. 

"First  we  ate  the  red  ones,"  says  Decker.  "Then 
when  we  got  tired  of  them  we  ate  the  yellow 
ones."  They  heard  the  natives  again  Tuesday 
night  It  wasn't  until  Wednesday  noon  that  they 
hit  a  clearing  ZVt  miles  from  their  starting  point 
The  trip  had  Mi«  Ib^  A  d^  imd  «  ImO^^ 

AN  hour  after  they  had  spread  their  life  raft 
i  tarps  on  the  ground  a  B-17  spotted  them.  It 
dropped  two  life  rafts  and  flew  back  to  Hollandia 
to  report  the  loeatkm.  And  Decker,  McCollom  and 
Suzy  celebrated  on  liard  candy  and  water. 

Shortly  after  their  discovery  from  the  air.  they 
were  discovered  on  the  ground — by  natives.  The 
natives  were  neither  head  hunters  nor  7-foot 
white  giants.  They  were  short  and  black  and  shy 
and  they  understood  sign  language  well  enough 
to  light  a  fire  for  the  GI  trio  and  to  put  some 
sweet  potatoes  and  bananas  to  roast  in  the  coals. 
Then  it  began  to  rain.  Decker,  McCollom  and 
Suzy  crawled  under  their  tarps  and  the  natives 
took  off — with  their  bananas  and  potatoes. 

The  next  morning  a  plane  returned  to  drop 
medical  aid,  supplies  and  a  walkie-talkie.  With 
the  radio  set  communication  was  established  be- 
tween ground  and  air,  and  the  survivors  in  the 
viliey  w««  mt  to  learn  the  plans  Hollandia 
headquarters  was  making  for  their  rescue.  An 
afternoon  plane,  dropped  enough  equipment  to 
stock  a  small  country  store — lipstick  -and  bobby 
pins  for  Suzy,  shoes  for  all  three,  more  batteries 
for  the  waUMe^taSkie  and  other  equipment. 
On  May  I8»  five  days  after  the  crash,  two  med- 
ical aidmen  of  the  First 
Filipino  Reconnaissance 
Battalion  parachuted 
down  to  join  the  Hidden 
Valley  three.  They 
brought  with  them  an- 
otber  MM  yiottndi  of 
equipment  and  supplies. 
The  aidmen,  S/Sgt.  Ben- 
jamin C.  Bulatao  of  San 
Francisco  and  Cpl.  Ca- 
milo  Ramirez  of  Ormoc, 
Leyte,  treated  the  wounds 
of  the  survivors  and  fed 
them  10-in-l  rations. 
They  fixed  up  a  place  to 
sleep  that  would  protect 
all  of  them  from  the 
weather.  Suzy  would 
rather  taflc  about  th«  two 
aidmen  and  what  they 
did  than  about  any  of  hor 
other  experiences  In  the 
Hidden  Valley. 

Two  days  later  Capt. 
Cecil  E.  Walters  of  Port- 
land, Ore.,  jumpmaster 


of  the  First  Filipino,  and  eight  volunteers  landed 
ill  ilie  vultagF,  m  wmm  twn  the  temporary 
camp  of  the  five.  He  and  his  men  set  up  a  base 

camp  and  connected  with  the  walkie-talkie  net- 
work. Then,  leaving  three  men  in  charge,  they 
took  off  to  find  Decker,  McCollom  and  Suzy  and 
the  two  aidmen. 

They  ran  into  natives  on  the  way  and  the  na- 
tives were  delighted  to  see  them.  Capt  Walters 
was  charmed  by  their  friendship  until  he  realized 
that  there  was  something  familiar  about  the  sign 
language  •  they  were  using.  They  were  making 
"indecent  proposals"  under  the  false  impression 
that  Capt.  Walters  and  his  men  were  a  group  of 
fair-slunned  maidens.  The  GIs  had  to  drop  their 
pants  to  clarify  the  situation. 

"It  was  the  firrt  time,"  says  the  6-foot-2-inch 
capuin,  "that  I  ever  had  lodo  that  to  prore  I  was 
a  man." 

It  took  the  party  three  days  to  cover  the  10 
miles.  When  they  reached  the  survivors  and  the 
aidmen  they  set  up  more  elaborate  quarters  and 
renamed  the  site  the  "recuperation  camp.'*  The 
party  remained  there  for  -some  25  days  and  what 
Suzy  remembers  most  is  her  boredom.  She  says 
she  doesn't  know  whether  she  got  on  anyone 
else's  nerves,  but  everybody  sure  got  on  hers. 

Not  much  excitmg  happened  in  the  25  days. 
The  walkie-talkie  network  was  busy  with  plans 
for  getting  the  party  out  of  the  valley.  A  220- 
pound  newsreel  cameraman  named  Alex  Cann 
dropped  in  by  parachute.  Planes  continued  to 
bring  supplies. 

A  partial  list  of  the  supplies  dropped  into  the 
valley  included  these  items:  tents,  mosquito  bars, 
cots,  signal  panels,  20  pairs  of  shoes,  300  pounds 
of  medical  supplies,  14  pistols,  six  tommy  guns. 
3,000  rounds  of  .45  ammo,  coffee,  bacon,  tomato 
juice,  eggs,  pineapple  juice,  79  lO-isi^l  nnUi, 
.  machetes  lap-laps  for  the  natives,  clothes  for  the 
survivors  including  scanties  for  Suzy.  stoves,  can- 
teens, water,  gasoline,  75  blankets,  magazines, 
rice,  salt,  mail  and  21  flags,  20  wooden  crosses 
and  one  wooden  Star  of  David  for  the  graves  of 
the  crash  victims. 

By  June  15,  Suzy's  bums  were  suflSciently 
healed  for  her  to  attempt  the  trek  to  the  base 
camp.  The  entire  party  packed  up  and  ^ok  >off. 

The  walkie-talkie  network  was  set  to  humming 
again  with  the  word  that  all  military  personnel 
in  the  Hidden  Valley  were  now  ready,  willing 
and  able  to  get  the  hell  out  of  their  alleged 
Shangri-La. 

,  By  this  time  Hollandia  had  decided  that  the 
only  wi^r  to  get  them  out  was  by  glider  pick-up. 
Glider  specialists  had  been  collected  from  all 
over  the  theater.  The  party  in  the  valley  set  to 
work  clearing  a  400-yard  glider  ftrip^  bumini 
the  brush  off  and  marking  it. 

ON  June  28  a  glider,  christened  Fanlets  Faggot 
for  the  benefit  of  newsreel  photographers  and 

reporters,  was  towed  off  to  the  hidden  valley.  It 
made  the  clearing  and  the  landing  strip  all  right 
and  from  that  time  on  the  performance  became  a 
publicity  program  worthy  of  Grauman's  Chinese. 

The  sky  bulged  with  planes  and  the  planes 
bulged  with  photographers  and  correapoodenti 
and  curious  observers.  The  radios  crackled  witjfi 
drama  that  any  network  writer  would  have  given 
his  eye-teeth  to  write.  There  was  a  question 
about  making  the  glider  snatch.  Was  the  weather 
good  enough?  The  traffic  pattern  was  widened  to 
allow  more  room  for  the  pick-up  plane.  (After 
all,  if  the  snatch  was  a  failure,  it  would  be  most 
disappointing  to  Ibt  WiWondents  and  the  pbp^ 
tographers  smd  the  observers) .  The  sky  over  Hie 
pass  was  closing  in.  Now  the  Hidden  Valley  party 
was  filing  into  the  glide  i  At  the  expected  landing 
point  of  the  glider  a  welcoming  committee  of 
generals,  MPs,  medics  and  other  GI  Grover 
Whalens  was  already  assembling.  Another  delay: 
the  strip  was  soft  and  some  of  the  glider's  load 
had  to  be  removed.  Another  10  minutes  passed. 

And  then  a  C-47  went  in  for  the  pick-up.  It 
was  a  clean  snatch.  The  Fanless  Faggot  came  off 
the  ground  smooth  and  sweet  and  Col.  Elsmore's 
voice  was  heard  over  the  walkie-talkie  net.  "Boy- 
oboyoboyoboyoboy!"  he  was  saying. 

The  two  planes  landed  at  a  strip  about  quarter 
of  a  mile  away  from  where  they  were  expected 
and  the  generals,  and  other  welcoming  officials 
had  to  hurry  over  to  catch  the  first  words  of  the 
survivors  as  they  got  out  of  the  glider. 

After  45  days  in  Shangri-La.  Sgt.  Decker  said, 
"I  want  a  shower."  Lt.  McCollom  said,  "I  want 
a  shave."  And  CpL  Margaret  (Suzy)  Hastings 
said,  "I  want  a  permanent." 

HoUsrwood  would  have  done  it  so  much  cuter. 


Original  froni 


o 
o 

6 

Q. 

0) 


O 


Employment  in  the  manufbcfur- 
ing  end  is  due  for  a  postwar  nose- 
dive, but  there  will  be  openings 
in  other  phases  of  the  business. 

By  Sgt.  SANDBISON  VANDERBItT 
YANK  Staff  WritMr. 

What's  the  deal  on  jobs  in  aviation  after 
the  war?  From  Scotland  to  Saipan  GIs 
whom  the  Army  has  taught  to  repair, 
maintain  and  fly  planes  are  figuring  that  they 
ought  to  be  able  to  carry  on  in  civilian  life  do- 
ing the  same  sort  of  work  they've  become  ex- 
pert at  in  uniform.  And  for  real  dough,  too,  these 
hopeful  Joes  are  likely  to  reckon  in  their  rosier 
pipe  dreams — $75  a  week,  maybe,  or  evert  $100, 
instead  of  Uncle  Sam's  lousy  chickenfeed. 

Well,  the  best  thing  for  such  optimists  to  do  is  to 
take  a  cold  shower,  drink  some  black  coffee  and 
sober  up*  because  the  chances  are  that  things 
aren't  going  to  work  out  that  way.  Not  if  the  Civil 
Aeronautics  Administration  in  Washington  knows 
what  it's  talking  about,  and  it  has  been  doing  some 
plain  and  fancy  checking  on  the  situation.  The 
picture,  as  the  CAA  sees  it  in  the  light  of  its 
checking,  has  its  bright  spots,  but  it  also  has  some 
prott\'  black  onv^. 


AVIATION  J 


Briefly,  the  setup  seems  to  be  this:  The  air- 
plane industry— that  is,  the  business  of  building 
what  it  takes  to  fly — is  due  for  one  of  the  biggest 
tailiil»lni»  in  manufacturing  history,  but  partly 
making  up  for  this,  there  should  be  a  consider- 
able increase  in  the  use  of  planes  for  a  variety 
of  new  purposes,  thus  providing  employment  for 
more  pilots  and  maintenance  men  than  ever  be- 
fore in  peacetime. 

First  off,  here's  the  bad  news,  and  hold  onto 
your  hats  because  it's- about  as  easy  to  take  as  a 
haymaker.  According  to  the  CAA,  some  students 
of  the  subject  ttiink  we  wiH  be  lucky  if  as  much 
as  2  percent  of  the  present  plane-manufacturing 
industry  keeps  going  after  the  war.  Right  now 
it's  doing  20  billion  dollars  worth  of  business  a 
year.  If  the  2  percent  boys  are  right,  it  will 
wither  to  a  $400,000,000  taldiistry  hiring  a  mere 
50,000  persons. 

Two  percent  may  be  too  pessimistic  a  figure, 
and  J.  A.  Krug,  chairman  of  the  War  Production 
Board,  thinks  it  is.  But  even  he  doesn't  expect 
that  more  than  from  5  to  10  percent  of  the  in- 
dustry will  survive. 

There's  one  big  "if,"  says'the  CAA,  that  might 
give  the  industry  the  shot  in  the  arm  needed  to 
prove  these  gloomy  prophets  wrong.  The  'Uf  is 
the  possible  sudden  development  ,  of  an  inexpen^ 
sive,  practical  plane  that  anybne  could  fly — a  sort 
of  aerial  Ford.  This  might  be  a  helicopter  or  it 
might  be  something  of  an  entirely  new  design. 
The  likelihood  of  a  new  plane's  making  its  ap- 
pearance is  obviously  unpredictable.  As  for  heli- 
copters, although  their  development  is  coming 
right  'along,  the  general  belief  seems  to  be  that 
they  won't  be  ready  for  widespread  use  for  an- 
other five  or  10  years. 

So  when  it  comes  to  applying  for  a  job  at  an 
airplane  factory,  it  looks  as  if  the  air-minded 
veteran  might  just  as  well  save  his  shoeleather. 
The  big  opening  for  him,  the  CAA  thinks,  is 
probably  going  to  be  in  industrial  flyhig;  in  fact, 
the  boys  in  the  know  say  they  wouldn't  be  sur- 
prised if  more  than  90  percent  of  all  postwar 
employment  connected  with  aviation  were  in  this 
field.  Here  are  some  highlights  of  the  industrial 
flying  setup: 

The  CAA  regards  flight  instruction  as  a  po- 
tential source  of  "steady  en^toyment  In, a  mod- 
erately active  market**  and  adds:  ''As  private 
planes  become  easier  to  fly,  the  flight  instructor 
will  probably  change  into  a  salesman-instructor 


who  will  teach  each  purchaser  as  part  of  the 
sales  contract." 

As  the  CAA  dopes  it  out,  quite  an  increase 
may  be  expected  in  aerial  photography  and  char- 
ter flying,  both  of  which  were  good  sources  of 
business  before  the  war.  Improved  photographic 
equipment  and  experience  gained  by  th^  services 
in  aerial  reconnaissance  should  increase  the  effi- 
ciency of  commercial  air  cameramen  and  thus 
create  a  wider  demand  for  their  services  in  sur- 
veying, map-making,  soil  control  and  so  on. 
Along  with  a  stepped-up  demand  for  charter 
planes*  rent-a-plane  service,  whidi  was  just  get- 
ting bf^fore  the  war,  will  presumably  de- 
velop into  quite  a  thing,  oome  peace. 

^RANSPORT  of  light  freight  by  air  is  a  business  that 
I  is  really  going  places,  the  CAA  thinks.  "There 
will  be  greater  possibilities  here  than  in  any 
[other]  commercial  transport  field,"  it  states  flatly. 
Perishable  foods  will  probably  constitute  an  imr 
portant  part  of  this  traffic.  For  instance,  a  con- 
verted war  cargo  plane  could  load  up  with 
oranges  in  Florida,  fly  them  to  New  England  and 
go  on  to  deliver  a  shipment  of  Maine  lobsters  to 
some  midwestern  city,  all  in  the  same  day. 

Most  GIs,  if  they  play  around  at  all  with  the 
idea  of  gf^ng  into  postwar  aviation,  probably 
think  first  of  the  commercial  passenger  lines, 
but  if  you  take  the  CAA's  advice  you'll  think  of 
something  else  because  your  chances  are  ap- 
parently going  to  be  pretty  slim  in  that  direction. 
"It  is  evident,  and  airline  officials  emphasize 
this,  that  the  airlines  will  not  be  big  employers 
after  the  war,"  is  the  blunt  way  the  CAA  puts  it. 

The  "most  optimistic"  estimate  places  the 
maximum  number  of  airline  planes  that  may  be 
in  operation  on  commercial  passenger  runs  dur- 
ing the  first  five  years  of  peace  at  1,000.  These 
would  need  6,000  to  8,000  men  as  flight  crewsr 
end  23,000  men  on  the  ground— i>lainly  no  great 
shakes  as  a  source  of  mass  employment,  espe- 
cially since  many  of  the  jobs  will  be  filled  by 
former  employes  of  the  airlines  now  in  uniform. 

The  CAA  foresees  many  jobs  for  pilots  in  a 
number  of  more  or  less  novel  fields.  Take  aerial 
agriculture,  for  example.  A  "considerable  in- 
crease" is  expected  in  the  use  of  planes  to  dust 
and  spray  crops  against  insect  pests  with  the 
help  of  highly  effective  new  poisons  developed 
for  war.  Rice  is  already  being  planted  from  the 
air  and  grains  probably  wfll  be  soon.  Burned-over 


rangdlands^are  also  being  jreseeded  by  plane. 
Hunting  coyotes,  wolves  and  other  animal 

pests  from  the  air,  first  practiced  as  a  sport,  has 
recently  been  converted  into  a  profitable  enter- 
prise. Strafing  such  critters  pays  off  handsomely 
in  bounties,  and  there's  a  bonus  in  it  if  you  feel 
like  skinning  them  and  selling  their  pelts.  Com^ 
mercial  fishing  fleets  are  likely  to  use  planes  to 
help  them  spot  schools  of  fish  and  there's  the 
possibility  that  conservationists  will  use  flyers  to 
stock  remote  lakes  with  fingerlings,  which  is  the 
piscatorial  way  of  saying  baby  fish. 

Aerial  fire-spotting  in  timber  country  is  rela- 
tively old  stuff,  but  it  has  developed  SMne  nen^ 
wrinkles  lately.  Fire-fighters  are  now  flown  to 
forest  fires  and  parachuted  to  the  ground,  where 
they  are  given  radioed  directions  and  supplied 
with  food  and  equipment  from  the  air.  Regidar 
inspection  by  low-flying  planes  of  the  nation's 
thousands  of  miles  of  new  oil  pipelines  laid  dur- 
ing the  war  is  also  in  the  cards. 

Tl^  CAA  has  cooked  up  a  plan  of  its  own 
which,  if  Congress  should  give  it  the  green  light, 
would  more  than  double  the  number  of  airports 
in  the  nation  and  provide  operational  jobs  for 
63,000.  At  the  present  time  there  are  about  3,000 
airports  in  the  U.  S.  and  the  CAA's  project,  which 
would  be  financed  in  part  by  Federal  funds, 
would  boost  this  number  to  6,305.  Most  new  fields 
would  be  small  ones  for  private  flyers.  On  the 
average,  each  would  require  10  employes. 

"Airport  management  and  maintenance  has 
new  importance  in  the  aviation  employment  pic- 
ture," says  the  CAA.  "The  old  slip-shod  methods 
can  no  longer  survive.  Aurports  must  adopt  busi- 
ness principles  comparable  to  those  in  older  and 
established  businesses.  Cities  will  need  airport 
managers  and  fixed  base  operators  will  need  pilots 
and  mechanics." 

So  lhat'k  how  things  stand  at  tiie  moment 
It's  not  the  whole  picture,  of  course,  but  probi^ly 
enough  to  give  you  an  idea  of  which  way  the 
wind  is  blowing.  Here's  the  cautious  note  on 
which  the  CAA  winds  up: 

"The  desire  of  the  aviation  industry  to  offer 
jobs  to  veterans  and  others  who  plan  a  career 
in  aviation  must  be  considered  with  the  under- 
standing that  the  industry  cannot  possibly  main- 
tain employment  approaching  the  present  level 
after  the  war.  However,  thousands,  including 
many  women,  will  withdraw  from  work;  thou- 
sands more  will  go  back  to  their  own  true  trade 
which  has  been  eliminated  during  war;  many 
civilian  commodities  which  are  almost  extinct  att 
present  will  siphon  off  other  thousands.  As  al- 
ways, a  man  with  ability,  ingenuity,  good  judg- 
ment and  ambition  will  find  his  natural  place  in 
the  work  ttx  which  he  is  best  fitted." 

Let's  hope. 


Digitizefl  by 


Googt 


e 


Original  from 
UNrVERSITVOf  MKHIGAN 


CPL.  Joe  Stefanelli,  Yank  staff  artist, 
made  these  sketches  on  a  visit  to  the 
Sultan  of  Sulu,  Moro  potentate  with 
headquarters  on  the  island  of  Jolo,  which  is 
part  of  the  Sulu  Archipelago  in  the  Philip- 
pines. The  Sultan,  known  to  his  subjects  as 
Muhammad  Janail  Abirin  II,  has  been  a 
Moro  big  shot  since  early  in  the  century 
when  he  fought  as  a  general  against  the 
Americans.  But  times  have  changed.  During 
the  Jap  occupation  the  Sultan  thought  very 
kindly  of  us.  Though  he  didn't  declare  war 
on  the  Japs  he  passed  the  word  around  to 
his  warriors  that  the  more  Jap  heads  lopped 
off  the  happier  he  would  be.  The  Moros  took 
his  suggestion.  When  41st  Division  GIs  lib- 
erated Jolo  they  saw  the  proof  in  the  form 
of  JBtp  heads  wrapped  up  in  banana  leaves 
and  kept  for  the  occaioim. 

And  times  have  changed  in  other  respects. 
The  Moros  don't  all  file  their  teeth  anymore 
and  some  of  them  even  wear 
clothes.  The  Sultan  yi  a  chain  snioker:  The 
Americans  have  come  again  and  perhaps 
the  Moros  will  take  on  more  western  habits. 
But  the  Sultan  says  the  American^  played 
square  by  him  and  he's  lor  them. 


pick  iPfi  Qnd  coii^«  Yk#  i 
light,  Hm  57-min  weighing  45  pounds  and  fh«  75-mm 
100  pounds,  is  Hiat  with  no  recoil  it  is  unnocossory 
to  have  a  hoavy  rocoil  mochonism,  carriage,  or  even 
a  heavy  braedi  blodL,.  B>— ch  pressure  is  almost  non- 
existent, since  o  port  of  Hie  propellent  gases  is  re- 
in the  breech.  This  eiimi- 


IIm  tholi  through  the  liHed  gun  tube  is  excKtly  co«n- 
todbaionced  by  the  gases  emerging  through  tliese 
openings.  Soldiers  must  keep  clear  of  the  breech 
wkmm  tring  to  ovoid  tlio  reorwcwd  blast.  Tho  thoUs 
fll^gd  ^^Kf  NOivMd  offtUlMry  sImNs  MMspt  llMt  iIm  mhm 
flflw  pofffowlod  to  crilow  the  Mcopo  of  ffco  ppopollwit 
gas.  The  57-mm  can  be  fired  from  the  shoulder 
while  the  75-mm  is  fired  from  a  small  tripod.  The 
57-mni  fires  a  3  pound  H.E.  shell  two  miles  and  tho 
1^       7Sm  iiM  m  Hjigwi  Ml  JMta  flban  9m 


rifle  is  mounted  on  a  machine-gun-type  tripod.  Note  openings  in  breech  and  optic 


Both  the  big  mirror  reflectors  and  the 
Bofors  guns  of  the  43d  Division  anti- 
alrcr€tff  found  new  jobs  to  do  in  the 
',  ^ays  of  the  Philippines  fighting. 


By  Sgt.  JOHN  McLEOD 
YANK  Staff  Correspondent 


m  A  jriTH  THE  Sixth  Army,  The  Philippines— 
The  sunsets  of  the  Manila  Bay  area  are 
red.  gold  and  blue,  and,  if  you  are  in  the 

proper  frame  of  mind,  they  are  a  wondrous 
thing  to  behold. 

Not  in  that  frame  of  mind  and  not  enjoying  the 
sunset  were  two  43d  Division  machine  gunners. 
Pvt.  Richard  Smith  of  Maricopa,  Calif.,  and  Pfc. 
Elmer  Shelby  of  Denison,  Tex.  They  were  sitting 
in  a  hole  scratched  on  iep  of  a  chalk  hiU  near 
Ipo  Dam  in  the  Manila  watershed  district. 

The  sunset  meant  only  to  them  that  it  would 
soon  be  pitch  dark.  There  wouldn't  be  any  moon 
that  night,  and  it  would  probably  rain.  They 
wouldn't  be  able  to  see  anything — including  Japs 
— more  than  a  foot  away  from  their  faces.  It 
meant  another  in  the  long  succession  of  nights 
when  they  couldn't  get  any  sleep,  when  a  Jap 
grenade  might  land  in  their  hole  any  minute, 
when  they  were  afraid  to  leave  their  lude  for  a 
second  for  fear  if  a  Jap  didn't  thoot  liMm  one 
of  their  own  buddies  might. 

The  sun  sank   behind  tht- 


FLEXIBLE  mm 


Pvt.  William  Burton  gets  a 


O 
Q. 

CD 


O 


west,  and  the  light  faded  to  darkness.  A  slow, 
misty  drizzle  began  to  fall. 

But  then  something  happened,  and  light  ap- 
peared. The  two  gunners  looked  at  each  other  in 
amazement,  then  looked  around. 

Somewhere  behind  them  searchlights  were 
clicking  on,  one  after  another,  until  there  were 
16  of  them  in  a  semi-circular  radius  behind  the 
43d  Division's  perimeter,  slanting  their  800-mil- 
lion  candlepower  beams  into  the  clouds  over  the 
battle  area.  The  light  from  the  bfeams,  reflected 
down  on  the  area  from  the  clouds,  flooded  the 
whole  front  with  light  as  strong  as  that  of  a  full 
moon  on  a  cloudless  night 

"That  first  mgtkt  the  lights  came  on,"  Shelby 
recalled  later,  ^Sire  didn't  sleep  much,  but  that 
was  just  because  we  were  so  excited  by  it  and 
talked  all  night  about  it.  Somebody  should  have 
thought  of  using  searchlights  a  long  time  ago."  We 
had  a  lot  of  trouble  with  men  going  off  their 
nuts  on  New  Georgia.  The  lights  would  sure  have 
helped  there.  Now  we  can  tell  whether  some 
shape  out  ahead  of  us  ia  a  Jap  or  only  a  stump." 

Smith  thought  the  most  important  things  were 
that  *'a  fellow  can  get  up  to  take  a  stretch  now 
without  being  afraid  one  of  our  own  guys  will 
shoot  him,  and  we  can  take  turns  on  guard  and 
some  of  us  can  sleep."  . 

From  that  first  night  until  the  Ipo  Dam  \^s 
taken,  the  43d  Division  was  supported  by  16  of 
the  60- inch  searchlights  of  reinforced  Battery  A 
of  the  227th  (Moonlight  Cavalry.)  Searchlight 
Battalion.  A  30-man  patrol  from  Easy  Company 
of  the  169th  Infantry  credited  the  light  with  sav- 
ing th^ir  lives,  by  silhouetting  Japs  who  attempt- 
ed to  surround  them  and  cut  them  off  in  a  riiyine. 
The  172d  Infantry  praised  it  for  helping  them 
repulse  night  banzai  charges. 

The  Field  Artillery  liked  the  light  because  it 
made  working  the  guns  easier  when  you  could 
see  the  shells  and  breech,  and  medics  said  it  cut 
the  time  needed  for  night  litter  hauls  by  at  least 
60  percent.  A  43d  Division  staff  officer  summed  it 
up:  "At  first  I  thought  the  proposal  for  using  ^e 
lights  was  a  lot  of  monkey  business.  Now  I  am 
sold  on  the  searchlight  for  use  as  a  weapK>n 
against  the  Japs." 

The  men  operating  the  searchlights  had  never 
had  any  practice  in  this  sort  of  thing  at.ali  The 
British  used  the  night-lighting  technique,  which 
they  called  "artificial  moonlight,'*  successfully  in 


Holland,  but  against  the  Japs  it  was  comparative- 
ly new.  Working  in  sui^rt  ql  the  infantiy,  the 
searchlight  crew  kept  its  lamps  burning  all  night 

except  for  the  few  seconds  required  once  an  hour 
to  change  the  lamp's  carbons.  In  previous  stations 
at  Hollandia  and  Lingayen,  the  battery,  working 
strictly  as  AA  defense,  had  never  kept  its  lamps 
on  for  more  than  half  an  hour  at  a  stretch. 

"They  just  told  us  to  set  up  the  lights  for  this, 
and  we  did  it,"  the  battery's  CO  expliuned  it. 
"Made  the  first  reconnaissance  on  a  Tuesday, 
and  we  were  operating  the  next  Saturday  night." 

The  lights,  placed  several  hundred  yards  apart, 
are  not  dug  in  to  any  extent,  The  men  were  ex- 
pecting plenty  of  trouble 'from  Jap  artillery  fire 
and  night  infiltration  attacks,  but  so  far  they 
haven't  had  any. 

Since  the  lamps  are  set  up  in  defilade  behind 
a  hill,  it's  hard  for  artillery  to  get  the  exact 
range.  And  as  for  night  infiltration,  apparently 
with  the  countryside  lighted  up  the  Japs  have 
been  unable  to  work  through  the  infantry's 
perimeters  to  get  back  to  the  hig  tents. 

Acting  squad  leader  Cpl.  Dominic  Montannno 
of  Ozone  Park,  N.  Y.,  offered  one  idea  toward 
local  defense  to  which  the  men  at  his  position 
had  given  some  thought 

"If  we  saw  'em  sneaking  up  on  uSi"  he  said, 
"we  could  turn  the  searchlight  right  on  them 
and  blind  them." 

Just  as  the  searchlight  battalions  ran  out  of 
orthodox  missions  to  perform,  so  did  the  ack- 
ack  boys  in  the  automatic  weapons  and  gun  bat- 
talions. In  fact,  some  of  the  latter  outfits  have 
been  converted  into  trucking  and  MP  units. 

It  is  on^  natural,  then,  that  when  the  Infan* 
try  runs  into  targets  that  seem  just  the  meat 
for  a  gun  with  a  high  velocity,  a  "Hat  trajectory 
and  a  rapid  rate  of  fire  that  the  ack-ack  bat- 
talions should  be  called  in — especially  when,  as 
in  one  urgent  case  in  Northern  Luzon,  field  artil- 
lery ammunition  was  running  low,  and  there 
seemed  to  be  more  AA  ammo  stacked  around 
than  anyone  knew  what  to  do  with. 

The  AA  90s  have  been  used  in  the  Philippines 
in  support  of  the  Americal  Division  at  Cebu  as 
well  as  with  I  Corps'  37th  Division  near  Baguio 
and  the  25th  Division  at  Balete  Pass. 

The  antiaircraft  artiltory's  flat-trajectory  guns 
are  especially  useful  in  cBrect  Are  against  cave  * 
positions  because  they  can  shoot  straight  into  the 


mouths  of  caves,  whereas  the  field  artillery's 
howitzers,  the'  shells  of  which  lob  from  the  gun 
mouth  to  the  targc^t  in  a  high  arch,  can  seldom 

do  better  than  place  their  load  right  outside  the 
cave  entrances. 

The  only  ack-ack  outfit  that  was  trained  and 
equipped  for  something  like  the  kind  of  ground 
support  work  it  is  now  doing  is  the  209th  AAA 
Automatic  Weapons  Battalion  (self  propelled),  v 
The  **se]f  pKopeUed"  is  the  important  part. 

The  209th  was  reorganized  and  equipped  at 
Finschhafen,  New  Guinea  with  half-tracks  espe- 
cially mounted  with  Bofors  40s  and  quadruple- 
mounted  .50s.  It  was  designed  for  mobile  anti« 
aireraft  protection  for  fast-moving  units.  It  made 
the  Lingayen  landing  on  S-Day  and  rolled  down 
the  central  Luzon  Valley  with  the  37th  and  1st 
Cavalry  Divisions,  guarding  such  valuable  ob- 
jects as  bridges  on  the  way.  It  got  in  its  first  fire 
fight  with  Jap  ground  troops  while  supporting 
the  1st  Cav.  in  fighting  in  the  Novaliches  water- 
shed district  outside  Manila. 

Once  the  fightkig  there  died  down  soniewhat. 
the  209th  was  put  on  the  move  again  and  it 
speeded  north.  Some  of  its  units  were  with  the 
32d  Division  blasting  away  at  Jap  positions  on 
Yamashita  Ridge,  which  commands  a  long  sec- 
tion of  the  bitterly  contested  Ville  Verde  Trail 
in  the  Northern  Luzon  mountains. 

The  209tn's  half-track-mounted  Bofors  and 
.50s  strafed  away  at  the  ridge  while  the  division's 
artillery  pounded  with  its  howitzers.  It  doesn't 
make  any  claim  to  knowing  for  certain  how 
many  Jap  positions  were  knocked  out  by  the 
lighter  guns  and  how  many  by  the  artillery. 

*'A11  we  know,"  explained  ^/Sgt.  William  L. 
Powers,  112-point  platoon  sergeant  from  Fern- 
dale,  Mich.,  "is  that  for  certain  w6  got  two  Japs 
we  saw  digging  over  there  in  a  camote  patch. 
Other  than  that,  we  just  blast  away  at  anything 
we  think  looks  like  a  target,  or^  anything  some 
patrol  out  on  the  ridge  thinks  we  should  shoot 
at.  Then  we  hope  for  the  best" 
,  Sgt.  Powers  said  he  reckoned  most  of  the  men 
in  his  outfit  would  just  as  soon  not  stay  attached 
to  the  infantry  all  the  time  but  would  like  a 
crack  occasionally  at  some  kind  of  guard  duty 
in  a  civilized  area. 

"As  for  me,  though,"  he  said,  '1  don't  like  that 
garrison  stuff.  Td  rather  get  shot  at  once  in  a 
while  than  stand  another  -full  field  inspection." 


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Original  from 

Of  MKHiGAN 


PAOC  II 


YANK  Thm  Army  W^mklv  •  AUGUST  1>.  1945 


FIRST  CLASS  /ACCOMMODATIONS 


o 
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By  Cpl.  LEN  ZINBERG 

ITALY — A  new  fellow  recently  came  into  our 
outfit  He  was  a  thin  pale  T-5,  with  a  gentle 
hazy  look  about  him.  He  hanily  said  a  word, 

and  when  he  did  speak,  his  voice  was  soft  as 
church  music. 

The  first  time  he  came  into  the  day  room,  the 
lads  as  usual  were  beefing^about  the  point  system. 
A  chubby  sergeant  from  the  Bronx  named  Tom- 
my Carr  was  saying,  .  .  and  what  gets  me  is 
this  stuff  about  they  asked  the  GIs  before  the 
point  system  was  approved.  I'd  like  to  meet  one 
GI  they  asked.  Just  one!" 

"They  asked  me,"  this  T-5  said  mildly. 

Everybody  turned  to  stare  at  him.  "You  mean 
they  really  asked  you?"  Carr  asked,  his  voice 
heavy  with  awe  .  .  .  and  beer. 

"Yes  they  did,"  the  T-5  said.  "I  was  in  the  hos- 
pital with  a  chronic  case  of  the  GIs  when  one 
night  I  was  aroused  from  my  sleep  and  I  saw  an 
angel  standing  before  me." 

"An  angel?" 

"Well,  he  was  an  old  man  all  in  white,  sharp 

white  horns  on  his  head,  and  a  lot  of  gold  and 
silver  hash  marks  on  his  sleeve.  He  said  to  me, 
'Son,  we're  getting  up  a  system  for  releasing  the 
men.  Do  you  think  the  first  ones  in  should  be  the 
first  out?' 

"  I  certainly  do,'  I  answered. 
"  And  overseas  men  should  be  released  first?' 
'  But  positively.* 

'  'And  combat  men  should  get  out  before  any- 
one else?' 
"  'You  bet.' 

"  'How  about  married  men?' 
"  'Let  them  out.' 


"He  was  writing  this  all  down  in  a  gold  book. 
Then  he  asked,  *How  about  the  oUter  meat«%Ml 

guys  with  kids?' 

"  'Let  'em  go.  The  big  and  the  tall  and  the  small 
.  .  .  free  *em  all." 

".'Thank  you,  buddy,  you've  been  a  great  help,' 
this  old  guy  said  and  suddenly  he  vanished  in  a 
cloud  of  sulphur  smoke." 

"Sulphur  smoke  and  horns  .  .  .  you  sure  he  w«|( 
an  angel?"  Carr  asked.  ^ 

The  T-5  said,  "Tell  you  the  truth,  I  got  washed 
out  of  Air  Cadets  because  I  was  color  blind.  May- 
be it  was  red  he  was  wearing.  But  he  talked  to 
me.  "  The  T-5  blinked  at  us  mildly.  "Honest,  fel- 
lows, that's  how  it  was." 

SCT.  Carr  took  a  firm  grip  on  his  cigar,  ran  to  the 
CO  and  said,  "Captain,  we  got  a  guy  here 
who  was  actually  questioned  as  to  what  he 
thought  would  be  the  best  system  for  releasing 
the  men.  One  of  those  guys  they  talk  about  in  the 
booklets  explaining  the  point  system." 
"Impossible!" 

"It's  the  truth,  sir,"  Carr  said.  "I  hope  to  throw 

away  this  cigar  if  it  isn't." 

"That's  enough  for  me.  Good  God!"  the  CO 
yelled,  leaping  mto  action.  "Hold  him,  don't  let 
him  out  of  sight!"  The  CO  grabbed  a  phone  and 
called  higher  headquarters.  In  a  matter  of  sec- 
onds, a  cable  was  sent  to  Washington,  and  by 
noon  the  next  day  the  T-5  was  on  his  way  to 
Washington  in  a  special  plane. 

I  understand  he's  been  permanently  assigned 
to  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  where  he  has  taken 
his  place  alongside  the  first  model  of  the  tele- 
graph, the  Wright  Brothers  airplane  and  other, 
museum  pieces. 


Original  from 
!'^"  -"'^-'Tv  OF  MICHIGAN 


YANK  The  Army  WmMy  #  AUGUST  17,  1945 


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SONG  FOR  AN  OLD  LOVB 

"Tears  are  so  corny,"  you  once  said,  and  I 
Agreed.  When  love  was  done,  that  would  be  that! 
We  very  aptly  mentioned  fools  who  cry 
When  milk  is  spilled.  Then,  would  I  tip  my  hat 
If  we  should  meet,  by  chance,  some  other  May 
As  casual  friends.  I'd  murmur,  "This  is  great. 
You  grow,  my  sweet,  more  lovely  every  day." 
And  you  might  ask.  "Haven't  you  put  on  weight?" 

No  tears  for  us,  the  calm,  experience-wise 
Ones  who  would  clasp  Love  in  a  time  of  need, 
Then  cast  aside  the  dead  thing.  Recognize 
An  ending  for  an  ending.  This,  a  creed. 
That,  very  young,  we  learned  to  understand. 
Strangely  enough,  it  happened  as  we  planned. 

Eosf  Mly  fiM.  Unas  -S/Sflt.  JOSEPH  R.  E.  PAOUIN 


Julian  Finds  a  Home 

JULIAN  CoRNWALLis  Walked  out  of  the  office 
building,  flanked  smartly  to  the  right  and, 
with  precise  30-inch  steps,  started  his  two-mile 
road  march  home.  It  was  5:30,  the  end  of  an- 
other busy  and  successful  civilian  day,  but 
Julian,  in  his  camel-hair  topcoat  and  Harris 
tweed  suit,  was  not  a  happy  man.  He  longed 
to  be  back  in  the  Army. 

Arriving  at  his  parents'  home.  Julian  stood 
on  the  porch  a  minute  listening  to  the  sounds  of 
domestic  activity  within.  He  could  hear  his 
mother  and  sister  in  the  kitchen,  blending  their 
voices  in  a  stirring  rendition  of  "What  D'Ye  Do 
in  the  Infantry?"  In  the  back  yard  his  father, 
preparing  for  retreat,  growled  commands  at  the 
family  dog.  Must  remember  to  promote  those 
two — the  dachshund  to  pfc  and  his  father  to 
corporal. 

-  ^  Jtiiian  walked  into  the  hall  and  put  his  hat  on 
the  desk  that  faced  the  door.  It  was  a  very 
aimpl^  desk*  bare  except  for  a  couple  of  wire 
baskets  labeled  "In"  and  "Out"  and  a  little  sign 
that  said,  "Lt.  Julian  Cornwallis,  Commanding 
Officer."  The  walls  of  the  hall  were  covered  with 
training  memoranda,  and  over  the  staircase  there 
was  a  large  poster  map  of  the  house.  The  room 
plans  had  various  inscriptions:  "Training  Area  2" 
was  the  guest  room  and  the  basement  was 
labeled  "Infiltration  Course." 

As  he  changed  into  his  uniform,  Julian  won- 
dered what  he'd  have  the  troops  do  that  eve- 
ning. Though  he  was  generally  satisfied  with 
the  way  the  family  had  worked  into  a  military 
routine,  they  needed  more  training.  The  argu- 
ment he'd  had  with  his  lather  about  the  monthly 


KM,  Wit. 


ghysical  inspections  would  never  have  occurred 
1  a  flrst-class  outfit  He  could  still  hear  his 
father  complaining,  "Now  look,  Julian,  I  know 
you  rank  me,  but  don't  you  think  you're  carrying 
this  a  bit  too  far?  After  all,  I'm  68  years  old." 

His  father,  mother,  sister  and  dachshund  came 
to  attention  quickly  when  he  entered  the  kitchen. 
They  did  it  very  precisely,  and  Julian  was 
pleased.  In  an  unpremeditated  burst  of  gen- 
erosity he  said.  "As  you  were.  We'll  dispense 
with  retreat  today.  It  looks  very  much  like  rain." 

They  all  cheered,  and  the  dachshund  broke 
ranks. 

"Now  let's  not  be  too  hasty,"  Julian  com- 
manded sternly.  "There's  a  problem  for  tonight, 
the  night  infiltration  course,  in  fact." 

Their  faces  fell.  His  sister  looked  up  with 
pleading  eyes  and  said,  "But  I  thought — " 

Julian  cut  her  short,  'Hemember,  Pvt.  De- 
borah, we're  in  a  war.  Besides  you  as  a  private 
are  not  paid  to  think." 

Juliairs  mother  was  operations  sergeant  She 
held  the  rank  of  staff.  Julian  turned  to  her  and 
asked,  "Anything  new  to  report.  Sergeant?" 

"Nothing  flashy/'  his  mother  replied.  •*We  fol- 
lowed the  regular  schedule.  Oh,  yes,  before  I 
forget,  there  was  a  message  for  you  from  the 
Legion.  It  seems  they're  showing  a  Signal  Corps 
film  this  evening  —  something  about  trigger 
squeeze." 

"That  is  interesting."  said  Julian.  "I  think  I'll 
go  see  it — might  give  me  some  new  ideas."  Then 
in  a  chastising  voice.  "Why  didn't  you  tell  me 
this  earlier.  Sergeant?  You  won't  keep  those 
stripes  long  if  such  inefficiency  continues." 

His  mother  looked  hurt.  "I'm  sorry.  It'll  never 
happen  again." 

They  sat  down  to  eat,  mother,  father,  sister 
and  dog  sitting  at  the  large  kitchen  table,  while 
Julian  sat  slightly  apart  at  the  ofiScer's  table. 
His  father  called  over  to  him,  "Begging  your  par- 
don, sir,  if  youll  be  away  for  the  evening,  how'U 
we  manage  Mtf'  infiltration  course  all  by  our- 
selves?" 

"Oh,  that."  Julian  thought  for  a  moment  "I 
guess  we  can  postpone  the  infiltration  course 
till  tomorrow.  You  may  go  on  pass  tonight." 

Noticing  the  look  of  absolute  joy  on  his  sister's 
face,  he  added,  "Care  and  cleaning  of  equip- 
ment before  you  leave,  though." 

As  the  days  went  by  Julian  became.  rViore  and 
more  strict  He  held  a  standby  inspection  of  the 
reservation,  gigged  his  father  for  needing  a  shave 
and  restricted  Deborah  because  her  skirt  was  too 
short. 

The  family  became  respondingly  sullen.  They 
had  never  expected  this.  They  had  thought 
Julian's  flair  for  military  life  would  pass  as  soon 
as  he  got  used  to  being  out  of  the  Army.  Angry, 
whispered  conversations  in  the  ranks  became 
more  frequent. 

"He  won't  even  let  me  sniff  a  cigar,"  Mr.  Corn- 
wallis would  complain. 

"But  the  magazines  say  you  should  humor  the 
servicemen,"  Mrs.  Cornwallis  would  reply. 

"The  magazines  be  damned!  I  want  to  sniff 
aL^  stogie,"  Mr.  (ji^ornwallis  retorted  bitterly 


The  dachshund  gave  up  on  the  fifth  day  and 
went  AWOL  with  a  blonde  cocker-spaniel. 
Fin^illy.  after  a  particularly  hard  workout  on 

the  obstacle  course  in  the  backyard  Mr.  Corn- 
wallis decided  that  he  could  take  it  no  longer. 
He  tried  to  tell  this  to  Julian,  who  just  snarled 
and  ordered  him  to  fall  back  into  ranks.  So  that 
evening  Mr.  Cornwallis  took  off.  He  came  back 
in  a  couple  of  hours  with  a  smug  look  of  satis- 
faction. When  Julian  questioned  •him.  he  re- 
fused to  explain  his  absence.  Even  the  month's 
hard  labor  that  was  his  sentence  did  not  dispel 
his  good  humor. 

One  afternoon  about  a  week  later  Julian  was 
sitting  on  the  porch  planning  a  20-mile  hike  and 
bivouac  for  the  troops  when  a  boy  delivered  a 
telegram  to  him.  He  read  slowly,  "Greetings  from 
the  Lydia  Pinkham  Hotel  for  .Women — " 

When  he  had  finished  reading  the  telegram, 
Julian  smiled  as  if  he  had  iust  been  promoted 
to  captain.  "I'm  in,  I'm  in,"  he  shouted.  "I  must 
leave  as  soon  as  I  can  get  my  bags  packed." 

A  few  days  later  Julian  stood  next  to  a  marble 
pillar  and  surveyed  the  hotel  lobby.  Everything 
was  in  tip-top  shape.  The  brass  was  shined,  the 
gaboons  were  all  lined  up  in  order.  He  picked 
a  small  piece  of  lint  from  the  sleeve  of  his  pow- 
der-blue uniform.  He  was  proud  of  the  uniforin, 
with  its  short,  form-fitting  jacket  and  red  stripe 
on  the  trousers. 

A  whistle  blew  softly,  and  Julian  rushed  over 
to  the  elevators.  The  bellboys  and  elevator  op- 
erators had  already  formed  in  two  ranks.  Julian 
faced  them.  "Fall  in."  he  shouted.  The  clicking 
of  heels  was  ragged  and  his  face  twisted  into  a 
frown  of  contempt.  **That's  no  way  to  start  close- 
order  drill.  You  men  are  going  to  get  trans- 
ferred to  the  kitchen  if  you  don't  watch  out." 
After  a  brief  pause  for  effect,  he  continued, 
"Drill  will  be  held  in  the  garage  today.  We  shall 
also  have  a  critique  of  the  manner  in  which  we 
handled  the  banquet  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution." 

As  the  platoon  of  bellhops  marched  off  down 
the  hall,  Julian  belched.  It  was  a  satisfied  belch, 
the.  belch  of  a  man  who  had  found  his  place  in 
th*  world.  ^  J,  c  stoooiA 

LAM&ii  #M  SQM  MmaaCAM  WOMEN 

We  have  no  issues  to  face. 
No  ipreat  decisions  to  make. 
No  life  and  death  dice  to  cast. 
No  burning  hope  and  in  a  sense 
No  goal  but  to  live 
Until  the  war  is  past. 
And  when  it's  done,  we  will  not  know. 
In  the  same  ignorance  we  will  go 
Down  the  same  roads,  riding  nfhsty- 
Smelling  buses,  lying  stiff  and  patient 
In  the  summer  sun,  blushing 
In  well-preserved  shame  at  the  same  joke 
And  in  the  end 

Weeping  softly  for  the  days  lost. 
The  work  not  done. . . . 

— fffc  GLORIA  MARCHISIO 


Djgitize<l  by 


r  Atoer*  Gaoi  Hasp.,  N.  C. 

OrigmaT  from 
UMkVERSITVOFMKHiGAN 


o 
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6 

Q. 
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CD 


The  people  of  BIytheville,  Arkonsos,  knew  oil  about  elaborate 
monuments  like  the  one  In  St.  Louis,  but  they  hit  on  something 

different  to  keep  olive  the  memory  of  their  war  dead.  Theirs  is 
a  living  memorial,  o  community  experiment  in  understanding. 


o 


By  Sgt.  BtU  DAVIDSON 
YANK  Staff  Writer 

BLYTHBViLLS*  Abk.— When  the  men  of  the  5th 
i  Division  smashed  into  Verdun  last  summer,, 
one  of  the  first  patriots  to  greet  them  was, 
old  Louis  Cornet,  caretaker  of  the  world-famous 
Douamont  memorial  to  the  French  dead  of  the 
last  war.  Later,  M.  Cornet  took  some  of  the  Sth's 
men  through  the  impressive  structure  on  the 
battlefield  just  outside  the  city.  He  showed  them 
the  marble  corridors  and  crypts,  the  golden  win- 
dows, the  chapel  and  towers.  Then  M.  Comet 
came  out  with  a  remark  that  sounded  curious, 
coming  from  him. 

"This  is  probably  the  most  beautiful  memorial 
in  the  world,**  he  said  sadly,  "but  what  good  is 
the  beautiful  marble  today  to  the  hungry  and 
homeless  descendants  of  these  dead?  They  can- 
not even  live  here.  The  marble  is  too  cold." 

This  was  a  Frenchman  speaking,  but  the 
thought  seems  to  be  confined  to  no  one  country. 
In  the  U.  S.,  the  Wisconsin  legislature  has  passed 
a  resolution  urging  practical  war  memorials  this 
time  instead  of  the  oocasionaUy  handsome  but 
useless  stone  ones  so  common  after  the  last  war. 
William  Mather  Lewis,  president  of  Lafayette 
College  in  Easton,  Pa.,  calls  for  "memorials  like 
hospital  beds,  medical  research  projects,  per- 
petual scholarships  in  institutions  of  higher 
learning,  playgrounds,  community  halls,  crippled 
'children's  clinics,  music  foundations  and  others 
which  wiU  proper]^  immoFfcalize  the  country's 
heroes." 

Some  American  towns  have  already  built  play- 
ground and  recreation  centers  in  the  name  of 
their  dead  of  the  second  World  War.  In  Denver, 
Colo.,  there  will  be  a  $3,000,000  war-memorial  hos- 
pital. Cities  in  Britain  and  Russia  are  building 
memorial  colleges  and  libraries. 

But  it  remained  for  the  people  of  this  small 
Arkansas  town  to  think  up  one  of  the  simplest, 
most  human  and  moving  tributes  of  all. 

Blytheville's  tribute  is  to  the  memory  of  Pfc. 
J.  C.  (Jake)  Privett,  killed  last  winter  in  Luxem- 
bourg durmg  the  Battle  of  the  Bulge 

Jake  Privett  was  a  37-year-old  Infantryman 
who  had  a  little  garage  on  Division  Street  before 
the  war  and  at  one  time  or  another  had  fixed 
a  car  for  nearly  everybody  in  BIytheville.  He 
had  a  wife  and  eight  kids — the  eldest,  Billy  Gene, 
is  now  13 — living  in  a  rickety  old  four-room 
shack.  When  he  was  drafted,  he  worried  plenty 
about  his  family. 

Jake  worried  even  more  when  he  came  home 
on  his  last  furlough  in  August  1944.  Finally, 
he  went  over  to  see  his  old  friend,  Jodie  Nabers, 
a  tall,  kindly,  thin-faced  veteran  of  the  last 
war,  who  ran  a  grocery  store  in  Jake's  neighbor- 
hood. Jodie  was  just  about  ready  to  close  for 
the  day  when  Jake  drove  up, 

"Drive  downtown  with  me,  Jodie,'*  Privett 
said.  "I  want  to  talk  to  you."  * 

•Sure  thing,"  Jodie  said.  And  he  got  into 
Privelt's  car. 

Tm  leaving  tomorrow,"  Jake  said  after  a 
while,  *'and  I  wonder  if  you'll  make  me  a 
promise." 

"What  is  it.  Jake?"  Jodie  asked. 
"Well,"  said  Privett,  "if  my  allotment  checks 
come  m  late,  will  you  give  my  wife  the  groceries 
on  credil  for  a  while?  And  if  they  need  a  man's 
advice,  will  you  do  what  you  can  for  them?" 

"Sure  thing,"  Jodie  said. 


Then  Jake  said  suddenly,  **Listen,  you 
me  this  promise.  Maybe  you  don't  know  what 
I  mean.  It  may  be  for  a  long  time.  It  may  be 
forever." 

**I  know  what  you  mean,  Jake,**  Jodie  said. 

"But  take  it  easy,  son.  Don't  you  go  away  feel- 
ing like  that." 

"I  can't  make  it,"  Privett  said.  "1  know  I 
can't  make  it" 

Six  months  later,  on  February  5,  the  telegram 


The  idea  stuck  in  his  mind,  and*  he  mentioned 

it  in  the  Glencoe  Barber  Shop  in  BIytheville 
when  he  got  back  the  next  day.  There  were  10 
other  men  in  the  shop  at  the  time. 

"Suppose,"  Jodie  said,  "that  we  took  the  money 
we  were  all  going  to  give  to  raise  a  monument  for 
the  war  heroes  of  BIytheville  and  bought  a  house 
for  Jake  Prtvett's  family  instead?" 

Without  his  saying  another  word,  the  10  men 
dug  down  into  their  pockets.  Bach  handed  Jodie 
a  $5  bill. 

From  the  barber  shop  Jodie  went  to  the 
BIytheville  Courier- News  offk:e  and  talked  about 
his  idea  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Norris,  editor 
and  city  editor  respectively,  of  the  local  paper. 
Sam  Norris  wrote  out  a  chedt  for  $25,  then 
called  in  to  the  composing  room.  **We're  going 


came.  Billy  Gene  brought  it  over  to  Jodie's  place 
around  noontime,  and  after  Jodie  had  read  it, 
he  had  to  close  the  store  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 
Jodie  did  what  he  could  for  the  Privett  family, 

but  he  kept  thinking  about  Jake.  Occasionally 
someone  would  say  to  him.  "What  a  shame  that 
a  guy  with  a  wife  and  eight  kids  had  to  go,"  and 
Jodie  would  feel  even  more  troubled  than  be- 
fore. For  three  weeks  he  tried  to  figure  out  what 
he  could  do.  Then  he  had  to  go  to  St.  Louis  on 
business.  It  was  while  he  was  looking  at  the  big 
war  memorial  there  that  the  idea  came  to  him. 

"How  many  children,"  he  said  to  himself, 
"could  be  fed  and  educated  with  the  money  that 
went  into  this  memorial?  ' 


to  remake  page  one,"  he  said.  Jodie  Nabers'  idea 
went  into  that  afternoon's  edition. 

The  first  day  after  the  story  appeared  $287 
came  in,  mostly  in  dollar  bills.  Next,  Jodie 
brought  up  his  idea  before  a  meeting  of  the 
local  American  Legion  post.  One  member  asked 
whether  it  would  be  fair  to  the  families  of  other 
veterans  of  this  war  to  single  out  the  Privett 
family  for  help.  Jodie  answered,  "Help  other 
families,  too,  when  each  case  comes  up.  But 
right  now  I  don't  know  of  any  other  man  with 
eight  kids  who  has  been  killed  in  action.  Make 
your  donation.  Then  go  over  and  visit  Rachel 
Privett  and  her  children.  If  you're  not  happy 
then,  I'll  give  you  double  your  money  back." 

The  Legion  gave  Jodie  a  check  for  $50. 


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Jodie  also  tolked  to  the  X^ma  Clia^  wt  m  tega^ 
lar  luncheon-meeting  at  the  Hotel  Noble.  The 

Lions  have  a  strict  rule  against  collections  at 
their  meetings.  But  after  the  meeting  was  ad- 
journed, every  member  of  the  club  came  up  to 
Jodie  in  the  hotel  lobby  to  give  him  money. 

One  afternoon  Jodie  started  at  one  end  of 
Main  Street  and  walked  all  the  way  to  the  other, 
stopping  in  at  every  store.  Jodie  has  a  bad  leg 
and  can't  climb  stairs.  But  when  word  got  round 
that  he  was  coming,  people  in  offices  on  upper 
floors  were  waiting  for  him  with  checks  in  the 
ground-Aooc  stores.  Jake  collected  more  than 
$2,000  that  afternoon. 

The  same  day  Jodie  went  into  a  pool  room  for 
the  first  time  in  his  life.  He  walked  up  to  the 
cigar  counter  to  speak  to  the  proprietor.  Before 
he  had  a  chance  to  say  a  word,  all  the  men  in  the 
place  left  the  pqid  Ubles  and  filed  sUently  past 
hint  dropping  I3»eir  money  on  the  counter.  Their 
contributions  came  to  $87.50. 

A  church  turned  over  all  of  a  Sunday  service 
•collection  to  the  Privett  Memorial  Fund — $113.15. 
Wherever  Jodie  Nabers  went,  people  gave  him 
money  for  the  fund.  Poor  farmers  in  the  swamps 
sent  their  kids  walking  15  or  20  miles  to  his  store 
to  turn  in  25rcent  contributions. 

Meanwhile,  money  poured  in  by  mail  to  the 
Courier-News.  At  the  end  of  10  days,  more  than 
$4,000  had  come  in,  and  Sam  Norris  tried  to  put 
a  stop  to  the  campaign.  But  newspapers  all  over 


a  committee  of  two  to  find  a  suitable 
house  to  buy.  In  war-congested  Blytheville  they 
faced  quite  a  problem.  But  on  West  Ash  Street 
they  found  a  pleasant  10-room,  white-frame 
house  that  hadn't  been  occupied  in  some  time. 
There  was  plenty  of  ground  around  the  house 
and  plenty  of  room  inside  for  the  kids. 

THE  house  was  in  a  nice  neighborhood  only  a 
block  from  the  Baptist  church,  and  a  school  for 
the  children  was  only  two  blocks  away.  Mrs. 
Privett  could  live  here  quite  comfortably  on 
the  $200  a  month  she  received  from  the  Gov- 
ernment in  pension  and  insutnnce  benefits.- 

Jodie  and  Mrs.  Norris  made  Max  B.  Reid,  a 
lawyer,  a  third  member  of  the  committee,  and 
he  closed  the  sale  of  the  house.  An  architect, 
U.  S.  Branson,  became  the  committee's  fourth 
member.  Completely  ledesigning  the  house.  Branr 
son  got  kitchen  cabinets  built  in,  a  lot  of  re> 
partitioning  done,  an  automatic  hot-water  system 
installed,  a  new  concrete  walk  and  steps  laid  in 
front  of  the  house,  closets  put  in  every  room,  new 
oak  floors  for  the  entire  house  and  a  new  bath- 
room to  handle  the  overflow  of  small-fry  Privetts. 

But  a  lot  of  things  were  still  needed.  And 
again  the  people  of  the  town  offered  tfaeii: 
taneous  help.  Furniture  was  given.  Someone  sent 
over  a  playground  unit  for  the  kids.  The  plumb- 
ers of  Blytheville  kicked  in  with  a  complete  new 
plumbing  system.  Electricians  gave  $262  worth 
of  services.  Every  one  of  the  18  .members  of  the 


the  country  had  picked  up  the  story,  and  now 
money  was  being  mailed  in  from  all  over  the 
U  S  Some  editions  of  Yank  ran  the  item,  and 
the  Middle  East  edition  of  The  Stars  and  Stripes 
ran  an  editorial.  .     ^  ^, 

Before  long,  GIs  and  sailors  m  all  parts  of  the 
world  were  sending  in  their  dollars  and  francs 
and  lire  and  rupees  to  Blytheville,  Ark.  The  men 
of  an  isolated  ATC  base  in  the  desert  came 
through  with  $133.84.  A  50-year-old  sailor  in  the 
South  Pacific,  with  two  sons  in  the  Navy,  gave 
SIO  **Thi8  is  the  sort  of  thing,"  he  wrote,  '  that 
makes  an  old  man  like  me  feel  like  it's  worth 

^°In^April,  when  the  collecUon  had  come  to  more 
than  $7,000,  Jodie  Nabers  and  Mrs.  Sam  Norris 


Painters'  Union,  •  Locid  1264,  contributed  $50 
worth  of  labor,  and  inside  of  a  few  days  the  10- 
room.  house  had  been  entirely  repainted,  inside 
and  out. 

One  day  the  county  Farm  Extension  man, 
Keith  BUbree,  came  -over  to  talk  with  Mrs.^ 
Privett.  He  asked  her  about  the  kinds  of  vege-*^ 
tables  she  and  the  children  liked.  The  next 
afternoon  he  showed  up  at  the  new  house  with  a 
contingent  of  kids  from  the  Future  Farmers  of 
America.  They  set  in  to  work  and  within  a  week 
a  vegetable  garden  had  been  planted  in 
50  X  100-foot  lot  alongside  the  house. 

A  short  time  later  Blytheville's  scoutmaster. 
Warren  Jackson,  showediip  wjth  a  detail  of  Boy  < 
Scouts  and  got  the  peach  and  pear  and  apple  ] 
trees  into  shape.  About  the  same  time  50  chickens  ' 
mysteriously  appeared  in  the  chicken  yard. 

Screens,  rugs,  lamps,  bedspreads  and  shades 
were  given  by  Blytheville  housewives.  Mrs.  Nor- 
ris and  Mrs.  Marie  Pollard  spent  three  days 
sweeping  and  cleaning  the  rooms  and  arranging 
the  furnishings.  Old  Willie  Dickens  helped  with 
the  heavy  work. 

By  midsummer  the  house  was  ready  for  oc- 
cupancy, down  to  the  last  bath  towel  in  the  bath- 
rooms and  a  copy  of  the  Reader's  Digett  on  the  . 
living-room  table. 

Then  Blytheville  held  a  brief,  informal  cere- 
mony. Hundreds  of  people  from  miles  around 
gathered  on  the  shady  lawn  on  West  Ash  Street. 
The  Calvary  Baptist  minister,'  the  Rev.  P« 
Jernigan,  made  a  little  speech.  He  said:  "It  v 
love  that  built  this  house." 

Max  Reid  gave  Mrs.  Privett  the  deed.  He  said 
simply,  "This  house  is  donated  by  your  fellow 
citizens  in  grateful  recognition  of  your  husband's 
services."  Jodie  Nabers  handed  Mrs.  Privett  the 
key  to  her  new  home.  He  didn't  say  anything  at  all. 

Afterwards,  the  townspeople— 820  of  them— 
walked  through  the  house,  looking  at  the  fur- 
nishings and  marveling  at  what  had  come  about. 
The  Privett  kids  played  on  the  swings  and  read 
comic  books  in  the  backyard.  Ten-year-old  Patty 
Jean,_ a.iedtietkl,  led  the  chickens.  E^iht-year-old 
J.  C  Privett,  Jr.,  got  a  bellyache  from  eating 
green  pears  off  the  tree  behind  the  kitchen  win- 
dow. One-year-old  Linda  slept  in  the  hammock. 

Mrs.  Privett  sat  on  the  front  porch.  She  sat 
there  crying. 


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EDITORIAL  STAff 

T  r.T7J.tlr   Sit.  Art  Aamutt  LMb. 

!!*"iLj.    FA    Sit    DiU  K rimer.  MP. 

WIMIaai    Frw*r.    A  A  F :   Syt-  ""^  JJ 

Gtrri  Mtyrr*.  AAF:  ^fi].rfL^nS^  mSanU 
C»l.  Ho«»rd  Ki.f7i."<»«r,  CA:  CM  "Jj*  Prjrfc 
FA    Pf«    D«*id  WhiUtwfc.  AAF:  Pw. 

BRITAIN.  S«t  Durbin  L  Hor 
Earl  And«r»on.  AAF;  Stt.^Edm 

i.a  .    a «l     Crmnk  Br 


.  CA;  8«t. 


^TALY.  H*  H»nr  •»•••.  AAF:  »tt^  G.^.. 
Barrttl.  AAf:  8tt.  0.ii»W  Brtimhurtt.  AAF 

AAF  Cnl  lr»  Frfrmar.  C«». :  C»l.  0«v«  Sh««. 
hit      Pir    W,rn*r  Wfl«.  Sl«.  C«r»l. 

INDIA  BURMA  ind  CHINA.  8«t.  P.ul  John- 
iton.  AAF  .  S,t  Jud  Cook.  DEML:  Mt.  C.«r«« 
J    CcrOHI.ni,   S,g     Corpv  Sit.   WilUr  P»ttrv 

^'IlASKA    Sit    Tom  Shfh«n.  FA. 

PANAMA    Sflt    Rithjrd  Oou«l»M.  M.d. 

PUERTO  RICO.  Sit  Don  Cooke.  FA. 

AFRICA  MIODLC  EAST-PERSIAN  GULF. 
8ft.  Hicham  PMl.  OEML:  CH.  Ray  MtBrrira. 

'"VcELAND:  Sft.  6ird««  F»rr»l.  AAF. 

NEWFOUNDLAND.  Sit.  Fr«nk  B«d«.  Sii. 
C»r»».  ^ 

CommandtHi  Olietr.  Cal.  Fraaklla  S.  Fart- 

"'t'lttutUe  OIBter.  Lt.  Col.  Jatk  W.  W«ek». 
Buiii««»  Maaator.  MaJ.  Nartk  Blibaa. 
PfMurement  om«er,  MaJ.  Gorald  J.  Ro«k. 
OVERSEAS  BUREAU  OmCERS.  fraaya. 

B.  Hawlcy:  Cantral  *mMk  PMita.  C«vt.  Maria 
p.  Mlllliaai:  Mariana*.  Ma).  l«(tM  J.  CrMwar: 

Italy.  Capt.  Howard  Carnratl.  Lt.  Jatk  Sllvar* 
ttcin.  auiitant:  Burma- la^ia.  Cayt.  HaraM  A. 
Burreuaht:  Alaika.  Ca»t.  Bratfy  E.  Clay.  Jr.; 
Iraa.  Caat.  Fraak  6la4*ta«a;  PtMaia.^  Lt. 
Ctarkt  H.  E.  StubblaflaM:  MiMla  Caat.  Capt. 
Kaavlton  Amat;  PiMia  Nka.  Ca«t.  FraMla 
E.  Saaimont  Jr. 


This  Week's  Cover 

IN  the  thall-Korred  Rizol  Stadium, 
Manilo,  Amerlcon  troop*  •n\oi  a 
Saturday  afternoon  at  o  ball  gam*. 
For  moro  of  Sgt.  Dick  HanUy'a  baseball 
pictures,  turn  to  page  22.  * 

PHOTO  CREDITS.  Co»er— Sit.  OIek  Haaloy. 
2— 8ft.  Rudalah  Sanfard.  >— Sit.  Eaaaaa 
Kammarman.  4  A  5— Saafard.  »— PA.  7— »tt. 
Jaha  Fraaa.  I0..-Lo*«-  rliM.  AaM:  attar*. 
Suaal  Cor,..  II -Sit.  Ratar  Wtww.  IS-- 
Sit.  Gaari*  Aaroat.  13— Uapar.  Airaja.  letrar. 
M  .  Ral.h  8t.i«  16  A  i7-Stt.  8, 
20-RKO  Radio.  22— Sit.  Oltk  Haalay.  2J- 
Sft.  Artliur  Wtlthat. 


9  lo  Decome  a  toldier,  re- 
?Bn.  Are  they  good  models 


Joe,  Tommy  cmd  *vtt» 

Dear  Yank:  appears  the 

"^From  Ume  to„V"?«Vent  that  the  only 
somewhat  fervent  ^J^^^f  this  war 

^"^i\?  to  let  JoTTommy.and 
would  be  to  lew  flghting 

iSlethef  anS'^d'^^^^^^  the  P^^e  S^^J  ^elr'of  TeVvice"  between  the  age 

^^?lJ^to.the_expre^o^  ^^^^-^^^^^^^  ^ 

p^n  l!^s  iffe.  Many  would  like  to  work 
the  year  in  between  high  school  and  col- 

^^Wiysical  disability  exemptions  should 
be  very  few.  Those  incapable  oj  kypyg 


be  a  land  of  free  citizens  with  the  great- 
est possible  degree  of  individual  liberty 
Is  it  freedom  to  have  every  able-bodied 
youth  grabbed  by  the  Anny  at  a  certain 
age  and  made  to  become  a  soldier  r«. 

gardless  of  his  r^**   -  ™  '  ^ 

career?  That's 
many  and  Japan, 
to  copy  from? 

We  shouldn't  stand  by  and  see  a  law 
pushed  ♦hrough  under  cover  of  the  tur- 
moil of  var.  which  will  possibly  endan- 
ger our  whole  future  way  of  life. 

Military  schools  and  ROTC  colleges 
can  be  increased  if  necessary,  and  mili- 
tary  training  should  by  all  means  be 
kept  on  the  voluntary  basis.  Also  our 
Regular  Army  strength  could  be  main- 


'^^J^ntl     t1;,fth^P^Pe"t~^  So^^  ^ 

•e  "Pf         of  iprvice  between  the  age  of      _  .  .      .      _  . 


refer  lo       ^^V'' Z.-;rz^n  that  every 
•  laments'  for       ^^"fjjw  the  idea  that 
l^^'^H  i^cSS^Sver  Sppl?^  the 

of  vipw  of  our  own  nation.  They  na\e 
^fl  dialt  with  such  things  as  soldiers 
benefit  an^  veterans'  rigTits.  Not  a  one 
Sfat  I  have  seen  has  suggested  an  inter- 
?aUonal  Veterans'  organization  whereby 
Tommy.  Joe  and  Ivan  can  exert  the.r 
iiSuence  on  an  international  scale  to  the 
end  that  the  things  that  they  are  fight- 
in«  for  today  do  not  become  empty  and 
mSaningless"^  phrases  of  Versailles  and 
the  League  of  Nations. 

Right  now  the  most  influential  factor 
in  Sternational  affairs  »s  theJJni^^S 
Nations  soldier,  amved  with  rifle  and 
bayonet  who  is  carving  on  the  battle- 
front?  of  the  world  B  victory  for  asting 
peace  and  intemationa  goodw,  L  This 
Sme  soldier,  armed  with  a  ballot  and 
an  organization  to  keep  him  informed 
on  the  trends  of  international  pontics, 
an  organization  through  which  he  can 
voice  his  opinion  in  the  halls  of  mt«r- 
national  government,  can  continue  to  be 
a  vital  influence  on  world  affairs. 

At  present  the  least  that  any  of  us 
are  putting  into  international  relations 
is  a  few  of  the  best  years  of  our  lives. 
Some  of  us  are  giving  up  life,  health 
and  sanity  in  addition.  In  my  opinion,  if 
we  go  home  and  forget  about  the  rest 
of  the  world,  limit  our  interests  and 
activities  to  the  purely  national  scene, 
we  can  consider  these  sacrifices  as  a 
total  waste,  a  job  well-started  but  an 
unfinished  project.  If  we  concern  our- 
selves wholly  with  an  organization  deal- 
ing, with  problems  of  veterans'  compen- 
sation and  rehabilitation  and  neglect  to 
weld  ourselves  into  an  influential  pres- 
sure group  on  the  international  scene, 
we  are  not  completing  the  job  we  started 
and  in  so  doing  are  leaving  a  hole  in 
the  foundation  of  a  peaceful  world — a 
hole  through  which  the  tides  of  inter- 
national dissent  and  ill-feeling  may  swell 
to  bring  on  another  world  struggle  and 
to  bring  our  sons  to  write  another  bloody 
chapter  in  the  book  which  we  have 
started  but  not  yet  finished. 

It  is  imperative  that  we  should  not 
allow  our  present  union  of  efforts  on 
the  battlefield  to  dissolve  into  mutual 
indifference  with  regard  to  each  other 
and  with  regard  to  the  world  at  large. 
In  order  to  avoid  such  dissolution  and 
in  order  to  preserve  our  identity  when 
we  voice  our  opinions,  we  shotdd  form 
an  organization,  an  organization  where- 
by we  can  keep  a  finger  on  the  pulse  of 
world  affairs  and  through  which  we  can 
make  our  voieee^  heard  in  the  house  of 
international  government  I  for  one  am 
anxious  to  learn  of  any^  such  interna- 
tional veterans'  association  as  may  be 
organizing  todajs  and  if  there  are  none 
I  am  more  than  willing  to  listen  to  any- 
one who  has  a  concrete  and  construc- 
tive program  to  ofTer. 
franco  -C«pt.  M.  MONROE 

^Oiiww  Confcrfpiiofi 

Dear  Yank: 

The  QuesUon  of  postwar  <»>mpulsory 
one-year  miUtery  training  pops  up  all 
along.  From  everyday  conversations  it 
appears  to  me  that  more  than  70  percent 
of  the  soldiers  want  some  sort  of  a  pro- 
gram. But.  there  seems  to  be  the  feeling 
that  the  Army  system  should  be  im- 
proved for  that  training. 

A  much  finer-toothed  comb  should  be 
used  in  selecting  leader  material. 

A  period  of  entry  should  be  so  regu- 
lated as  to  give  the  least  interruption  to 
the  man's  rights  of  the  pursuit  of  life. 

We  don't  want  it  thrown  at  our  broth- 
ers, children  or  friends  as  it  hit  us. 

Perhaps  there  should  be  an  increase 
in  tuition — free  academies  which  can 
train  men  over  a  long  period  of  time  to 
be  Rood  officers  and  at  the  same  time 
K'lidv  for  a  nnrmal'life  industrial  trade 


>■ 


Soldw  for  Bugles 


up  with  a  heavy  program(__^ 
cial  training  in  service  troopfc  WWrt  put 
a  penalty  on  good  health.^ 

Italy 

Dear  Yank:  , .  , 

All  the  government  would  need  to 
do  would  be  to  offer  a  college  education 
to  anyone  who  qualifies  if  he  would  join 
the  Army  or  the  Navy  ^orioar^^^ 
decent  uniforms  were  provided  »«« 
would  be  no  difficulty  in  getting  the 
necessary  enlistments. 

With  this  plan  the  government  would 
have  an  uninterrupted  flow  of  college- 
trained  Army  and  Navy  men  available 
'at  all  times.  It  would  be  a  great  advan- 
tage to  have  all  the  rated  men.  in  the 
Army  or  Navy,  college  graduates.  Nine 
months  of  the  year  could  be  devoted  to 
schooling,  both  academic  and  military, 
two  months  to  actual  maneuvers,  and 
om  moAth    furlough.  * 

Sic 


Dear  Yank: 

Just  in  case  Sgt.  F.  Caccioppoli,  the 
bugler,  doesn't  gel  a  bugle  here  is  a  little 
tip  for  him. 

His  bugle,  being  plastic,  is  still  repair- 
able. Tell  him  to  get  a  soldering  iron  and 
go  to  work  on  it.  A  direct  application  of 
heat  at  any  crack  or  break  will  fuse  the 
material  at  that  point  very  neatly.  Any 
roughness  will  clean  up  with  a  snuMth 
file  and  sand  paper  and  leave  a  finish  as 

I  received  a  letter  of  commendation 
from  the  Navy  for  this  idea  but  it  doesn't 
look  like  it  has  gotten  around  to  the 
onea  who  can  Mf  ^ 
Oof  Monro,  CoW.  -dMIIUUZOfllta 


Dear  Yakk: 

.  .  .  The  issue  of  mandatory  service  in 
peacetime  is  more  than  just  the  passage 
of  a  new  law.  It  is  a  threat  to  the  freedom 
of  the  American  citizen.  In  wartime  the 
nation  comes  first.  It  is  not  good  to  make 
the  government  all  important  at  all  times 
for  then  the  freedom  of  individuals  is 
sacrificed  for  the  good  of  the  state.  This 
is  not  the  way  oUr  country  was  designed 
by  its  founders.  America  is  supposed  to 


Sweating  Tmm 

Dear  Yank: 
I  am  puzzled. 

I  am  getting  foreign  service  credit  but 
not  20  percent  for  service  here  in  Texas. 
I  got  the  20  percent  but  no  foreign  ser- 
vice credit  for  three  years  of  soldiering 
in  Itawaii.  ^       m.  ^ 

Those  are  two  anpes  Of  iny  nmag; 
justed"  service  ratwf  li^df^  ttmom 
straight  enough  when  the  plait  wei  aw- 
nounced  May  12. 

At  that  lime  a  little  simple  addition 
revealed  that  I  had  116  poinU.  I  was  top 
man  in  the  battalion.  I  was  even  willing 
to  yield  five  points  I  had  given  myself 
for  a  battle  that  I  wasn't  sure  of. 

Then  our  personnel  unit  went  to  work 
on  my  column  of  figures.  They  Quidcly 
pared  my  neat  total  down  to  75—1  didnt 
get  the  five  poinU  for  the  doubtftil  bat- 
Ue  star  and  36  points  representing  three 


for  algebra." 


-Cpl.  Tom  Flonnary 


Original  from 


They  M'f'mtit  m^Bm- 


ymn'  service  in  Unnit^m 
'  trimmed  Awaar. 
The  reason?  ' 

waiian. 

That  is  not  altogether  true.  I  am  will* 
ing  to  concede  that  I  was  for  a  year,  er 

12  points  worth,  but  no  more. 
Here's  the  stor>': 

When  I  enlisted  in  Honolulu  on  Dec.  10. 
1940.  I  was  18  years  old  and  my  mother 
was  residing  there, 
turned  to  California  a 
still  resides  there. 

I  argue  that  since  I  ' 
the  time,  my  legal 
Hollywood,  California. 

Figuring  this  way  and  knocking  off 
the  battle  star  I  wasn't  entitled  to.  I  still 
would  have  96  points. 

But  to  date.  I,  who  was  bom  in  Da- 
rien.  Conn.,  and  lived  until  I  was  14  in 
Hollywood,  and  voted  as  a  resident  of 
Hollywood,  am  in  the  eyes  of  the  Army 
a  Hawaiian. 

And  that's  not  all. 

I  went  to  New  Guinea  in  April  1944. 
and  returned  to  the  States  in  December 
1944.  having  been  stationed  here  at  Camp 
Wolters  since  my  return.  To  be  consis- 
tent I  should  have  eight  months  foreign 
service  credit  but  I  have  received  12. 

The  only  answer  I  can  dope  out  for 
lliia  is  that  Tve  tieen  getting  foreign  ser- 
vice .credit  for  time  in  Teseas.  I  know  a 
lot  et  GlM  here  who  think  they  are  en- 
titled to  same  but  I  never  heard  of  any- 
one else  who  got  it 

That's  my  case  and  here  I  sit  sweating 
it  out  and  yon  sure  can  sweat  in  Texas. 


HHhr^s  financiers 

Dear  Yank: 

In  all  this  recent  talk  about  the  im- 
pending punishment  of  war  criminals.  I 
nil  to  find  any  mention  of  also  includmg 
those  British.  Dutch.  French  and  other 
finaruiers  ^h..  !>ciJik-rolled  Hitler  long 
.before  lie  came  .mIu  power.  Perhaps  the 
man  who  hires  a  gangster  is  no  longer 
^  equally  guilty^or  maybe  those  boys 
didn't  knowjwISat  they  were  paying  for. 
Or  are  such  actions  to  be  cloaked  with 
a  mythical  legality?  Once  that  line  of 
reasoning  is  started,  our  tribunals  will 
wind  up  with  nothing  to  show  for  their 
efforts  but  a  Van  der  Lubbe. 

Mi  It  N.  mm 

Barracks  Bags 

Dear  Yank: 

We  are  members  of  a  line  Infantry 
company  and  have  been  in  combat  al- 
most continuously  since  the  beginning 
of  the  Luzon  campaign.  Upon  being 
pulled  out  for  our  only  rest  we  found 
that  our  barracks  bags  had  been  looted 
of  not  only  GI  equipment  but  also  per- 
sonal belongings. 

Now,  is  it  not  bad  enough  that  front 
line  troops  such  as  we  are.  who  cannot 
carry  our  barracks  bags  with  us.  must 
be  deprived  of  these  contents  even  dur- 
ing the  short  infrequent  periods  that 
such  troops  are  allowed  to  rest?  If  our 
suspicions  are  correct,  the  guys  who  are 
taking  this  stuff  are  the  fellows  who  are 
so  far  behind  that  they  already  travel 
with  almost  all  the  comforts  ^  borne, 
and  we  feel  that  the  least  thesr  iMtf  do 
is  leave  our  stuff  atone. 

Philippines 


"Lt.  Araki?  I'm  sorry.  Yoo  just  missed  him.  He  stepped  out  on  a  banzai  charge  ' 


to  the  States  when  a' regulation  super- 
seding the  original  one  came  out  and  we 
were  advised  that  no  flying  hours  other 
than  "hump**  hours  were  given  credit. 

We  see  no  reason  why  we  should  be 
deprived  of  our  hours  flown  in  the  North 
African  theater.  We  feel  that  there  are 
suflficient  radio  men  in  the  SUtes  to 
take  our  places  who  would  welcome  the 
chance  ta  aerve* 

India 


Vm  sure  they  would  agree  that  near- 
sighted men  be  given  the  flrst*chance.  A 

fair  system  would  be  50  points  for  each 
20-100  of  defective  vision.  As  an  exam- 
ple, a  GI  like  myself  with  20-200  vision 
would  have  a  hundred  points.  Even 
though  the  devisors  of  the  system  seem 
to  have  been  nearsighted  in  this  regard. 
I  am  sure  it  is  not  too  late  for  their  over- 
aiglit  to  be  covcfcted* 


Chemist  Shortage 


-$gt.  EDWARD  PASCAL 

Dear  Yank: 

Can't  something  be  done  about  these 
barracks  bags  and  duffel  bags?  We  have 
Deen  living  out  of  them  for  a  long  time 
and  I  know  others  have  been  doing  it 
J2.1*r  r«  Why  don't  they 

into  several 

large  pockets?  In  that  way  items  could 

be  segregated  and  would  be^"^^ 


Dear  Yank: 

An  article  printed  in  the  /ndttstrta!  and 
Engineering  Chemistry  magazine  deals 
with  the  alarming  shortage  of  U.  S. 
chemical  technicians.  This  is  only  one  of 
the  many  thouaands  of  articles  that  have 
been  printed  on  the  same  subject. 

Many  a  U.  S.  scientist,  remembering 
Britain's  similiar  policy  in  the  last  war. 
has  viewed  with  alarm  the  drafting  of 
the  relatively  few.  chemists  to  serve  as 
"mere  drops  in  the  bucket"  on  the  fight- 
ing fronts,  while  Germany.  Russia  and 
once-bitten  Britain  take  pains  to  main- 
tain their  stockpiles  of  researchers  for 
the  future. 

To  date  I  am  one  of  approximately  15.- 
000  trained  chemists  and  chemical  engi- 
neers in  the  armed  forces.  Are  we  serv- 
ing as  chemists  and  chemical  engineers? 
No.  because  wr  servicesjis  sMch  are  not 
required  m  tNl  Atipiy.  IFI^  m^tntiHr  of 
us  were  tossed  haphazardly  into  the  In- 
fanlry. 

It  is  my  firm  belief  that  when  dis- 
charges  .are  handed  out  we  who  have  de- 
grees in  chemistry  along  with  practical 
gsperience  in  that  field  should  be  among 


find:''¥Ae's1des  c'ould'Trli^o.SS^LS  S?  t^'i  *t  ^^o^^^ered  as  applicants 
bamboo  slats  to  kSo^hSTlS^^iSS  discharges.  If  nothii 

2Jl«iveit.bi[S^'S2^^^ 


EM  Only 

Dear  Yank: 

After  spending  two>and-a-half  years 
in  this  area  and  being  in  close  proxi- 
mity with  oflBcers.  we  have  decided  that 
any  organixation  formed  after  this  war 
must  be  strictly  for  enlisted  personnel. 

We  believe  that  any  benefits  we  may 
strive  for  should  be  confined  to  enlisted 
men  due  to  the  fact  that  officers  have 
had  too  many  privileges  during  this  war 
including  food,  pay  i  *  " 
also  have  had  the 
women  in  this  area  wW 
the  enlisted  men. 

If    this    caste  system 

strong  during   the   war  _     

why  they  should  be  permitted  to  join 
the  same  organization.  The  reason  they 
will  desire  too  is  because  of  our  numer- 
ical strength  and  the  power  we  will 
have  in  lobbying  for  legislation  to  bene* 
fit  the  veteran.  Therefore  any  benefits 
we  seek  should  be  for  enlisted  men  and 
women.  The  officers  liave  already  tmm 
ceived  their  reward  in  Map  aUd'mamr 
of  them  will  be  independent  lOTM 
rest  of  their  lives. 

Sovih  Padfte  fg|_  4.  ||^« 


liquor.  They 
of 

I  denied 

has  been  so 
I  cannot  see 


Is — he  inquires  to  plaintive  accent— 
an  I.Q.  of  150  too  intelligent  for  anv-  [ 
thing  save  latrine  duty,  KP.  etc,  et  al. 
and  ad  nauseam?  At  this  late  stage  of 
tbe  game,  he  expects  no  remedy;  just  a 
reasonable  explanation  would  be  .satis- 
factory. Liberation  —  deliverance  from 
the  military  yoke — is  his  only  wish  and  f 
hope.  Following   his  emancipation,  he 
solemnly  vows,  in  case  of  matrimonial 
prospects  resulting  in  a  junior  edition, 
never  to  raise  his  boy  to  be  a  soldier. 
And  should  some  forces  of  evil  again 
throw   us   into   similar  conditions 
exist  today,  he  grimly  affirms  his  in-  | 
tention  of  warping  junior's  mental  ca- 
pacities to  that  of  moron.  Sonny  ab- 
solutely will  not  be  cursed  with  a  hid-  | 
eous  three-figure  I.Q.  No.  sir!  A  mili- 
tary classification  genius  wiould  stare  I 
incredulously  at  the  boy's  3.2  < super-  | 
imbecile)   score,  look  up  in  awe  and  | 
reverently  hand  the  lad  a  tech  or  mas- 
ter sergeants  stripes,  softly  uttering: 
"Wonderful:  You  exceed  my  I.Q.  rating  I 
by  over  .9 — please  accept  these  here  for  f 
a  couple  days  until  we  can  locate  a  cou- 
ple of  eagles."  Thus,  junior  shall  tri- 
umph where  his  old  man  once  igno- 
miniously  failed! 

Hopefully,  the  embittered  veteran,  of  j 
infamous  deeds  a  victim,  awaits  the  I 
receipt  of  the  Order  of  Gnashed  Teeth  [ 
or.  perhaps,  some  piteous  comrade-in- 
•nw  m«y,«ven  tender  the  Cluster-of- 
^^VuUHit'tmm  anyway. 

V.I 


UncredHed  Haun 

liaar  Yank: 

tion;??;  thlN2!?h*AT*'  originally  sta- 
acctuSulate?fJS?f  African  theater  and 

"e  not  coin^inw^w^^^'^^^^^ts.  We 
^  ^uty  aud  that  for  it  is 

««»ntryV  the  bL'riV^^^  ^« 

then  SSuS2iiSi**S  ttS*tJ^« 

^We  were  ff\x,^^  . 

65  percent 


.i  "  ~"L  «»'-'••  "  nothing  is  going 

to  be  done  about  getting  us  back  into  in 

'^•'^  EAtl  O.  DETERT 

Over$#gh#  on  Points 

Dear  Yank: 

♦hi         noUced  all  the  bitches  against 

Int  "^^^J"  ^"^  ^  thatW- 

i^o'*'^?**^^"'^  ^^^^  ^en  aired  but  I  am 
amazed  that  the  most  glaring  overaiiht 


Srir^Tf  a^pK^     canS5«*'>^/^  de^-tely  handi- 


%^^^*ir'  «*"0Pe  around 
rZ^I^?^  normal-sighted 
akmg  and  push  them 


Digilized  by 


Goog[ 


*AIm  sifMarf  by  aht  t^kit. 

Dear  Yank: 

Drag  forth  ye  olde  weeping  post; 
shake  out  yon  tear-sodden  towel.  This 
glorified  yardbird  hereby  registers  his 
sober  intention  to  bivouac  on  Afaii 
Call's  gripe-grounds.  He  solemnly  at- 
tests his  thorough  familiarity  with  all 
phases  of  Army  snafudom.  Yea.  verily, 
he  has  been  subjected  to  aforesaid  mili- 
tary eccentricities,  inefficiencies  and 
just  plain  chicken-excrements  for  just 
a  few  hours  short  of  903  days. 

With  patience  has  he  conducted  him- 
self, m  subservience,  through  countless 
harrowing  hours.  AdmiraUy  has  he 
withstood  the  agonies  heaped  on  his 
unbowed  pate  and  silenUy  has  he  en- 
dured the  scurrilous  oaths  and  vile  in- 
vectives which  were  his  bitter  lot  dur- 
ing these  insufferable  !»rvi\t>  tacv.. 


C 


Original  fr-nm 
UMtVERSITVOf  MKdJGAN 


Humbm  Awmi 

Dear  Yamki 

In  connection  with  the  awards  for  I 
heroism  to  the  B-29  crew  which  shot 
down  11  Japanese  planer  over  the  Jap 
homeland  and  then  crashed  into  the  sea, 
I  would  like  to  ask  a  question. 

If  I  read  correctly,  the  pilot,  who  was 
a  major,  received  the  Congressional 
Medal  of  Honor  while  the  crew  only  re- 
ceived the  Silver  Star.  Why? 

The  way  I  look  at  the  deed  is  this: 
The  crew  were  all  or  almost  all  okay, 
and  therefore  when  their  plane  was  bad- 
ly damaged  could  have  bailed  out  and  | 
been  taken  prisoners  of  war.  They  didn't, 
however,  but  chose  to  stay  and  fight.  | 
thus  contributing  as  much  toward  shoot- 
lajEdOWn  the  planes  as  did  the  pilot. 

Therefore,  what  did  the  pilot  do  that  I 
the  other  members  of  the  crew  didn't 
to  receive  a  higher  award?  Lastly,  just 
because  he  volunteered  for  the  flight  I 
don't  think  he  should  receive  a  higher 
award.  The  award.  I  think,  was  made 
not  for  the  flight  but  for  shooting  down  [ 
the  nlanes  affAinut  nv<>rwhHiTiin<r  nrlHc 


The  Honorable  (Battleship)  Discharge^  is 
awarded  to  those  whose  final  rating  is  at  least 
3.0  in  proficiency  and  3.25  in  conduct  who  have 
not  been  convicted  by  a  General  Court  Martial 
or  more  than  one  Summary  CM.  Until  recently 
this  discharge  was  reserved  for  those  who 
served  to  the  end  of' their  enlistment  (duration 
plus  six),  but  it  has  since  been  extended  to  in- 
clude discharges  for  convenience  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, man's  own  convenience,  dependency, 
under-age,  over-age,  medical  survey  (not  due 
to  miscimduct)  and  disability  whether  or  not  in 
line  of  duty.  When  disability  is  the  result  of 
action  against  an  enemy,  proficiency  and  con- 
duct-rating nuurks  may  be  disregarded.  Per- 


aomwl  previously  discharged  '^nder  Honorable 
Condifioiis^  who  deserve  the  *%ttleship*''Dis- 
chuyt  uodar  the  changed  ruling  may  apply  to 
Btt^tti  til  €l»nc»  their  eertilieate. 

The  Under  Honorable  Conditions  Discharge  is 
given  to  those  whose  final  rating  is  below  3.0  in 

proficiency  or  3.25  in  conduct  or  those  who  have 
been  convicted  by  General  Court  Martial  or 
more  than  one  Summary  CM.,  or  by  reason  of 
disability  due  to  own  misconduct,  or  for  unsuit- 
ability  or  inaptitude.  It  is  in  the  honorable  class; 
for  anything  less,  there  are  three  yellow  tickets 
in  the  bottom  drawer — the  "Undesirable,"  "Bad 
Conduct"  and  "Dishonorable"  discharges. 


THE  Navy  has  announced  a  simple  point  sys- 
tem by  which  it  expects  to  discharge  approxi- 
mately 30,000  older  officers  and  enlisted  men  this 
year.  The  plan  establishes  a  point  credit  only  for 
age  and  length  of  service  and  none  for  depen- 
dency, combat  or  decorations.  It  is  not  a  general 
demobilization  program  similar  to  the  point  sys- 
tem under  which  the  Army  is  now  dischargiiig 
4,000  troops  per  d^,  liiit  cather  a  means  of  raphie- 
ing  with  younger  ffepeulte  older  men  not  fitted  lor 
general  service. 

Under  the  plan,  which  also  affects  the  Coast 
Guard,  one  point  will  be  given  for  each  four 
months  of  active  duty  since  September  1,  1939. 
This  score  will  be  added  to  a  man's  age  to  de- 
termine his  total  score.  For  most  officers  and 
men,  S3  points  will  be  necessary  for  release.  In 
some  categories  where  there  is  still  a  shortage 
of  personnel  the  required  total  score  will  be 
higher.  Reserve  officers  of  the  Supply  Corps  will 
need  55  points;  reserve  officers  of  the  Civil  En- 
gineer C^rps  will  need  57. 

Several  classes  will  not  be  eligible  at  all  for  the 
time  being.  These  include  enlisted  men  of  the 
regular  Navy  whose  enlistments  have  not  expired, 
officers  of  the  regular  Navy  (except  temporary 
officers  with  permanent  enlisted  status),  members 
of  the  Medical,  Dental  and  Chaplain  Corps,  and 
anyone  declared  and  proved  essential  by  his  CO. 

Applications  must  be  submitted  individually  to 
commanding  officers  and  there  may  be  a  delay  in 
their  approval  up  to  three  months  within  the  U.  S. 
and  six  months  overseas.  This  is  to  permit  time 
to  acquire  and  train  cflfective  replacements. 

The  Navy  estimated  that  the  plan  would  make 


THAT  hunk  of  sophistication  over  at  the  left 
hardly  looks  like  it  came  from  Snoqualmie 
Falls,  Wash.,  population  752.  But  that  it  did, 
just  24  years  ago.  The  name  is  Ella  Raines 
and  she  is  5  feet  5,  weighs  110,  has  brown 
hair,  green  eyes  and  an  acting  ability  that 
IS  getting  her  to  the  top  of  the  Hollywood 
heap.  Recent  pictures:  RKO-Radio's  "Tall  in 
the  Saddle"  and  Universal's  "Uncle  Harry." 


eligible  for  release  this  year  about  19,000  enlisted 
Itt^  10.000  commissioned  and  waimt  «Aeiri 

of  Oie  line,  1,000  Engineer  Corps  oflicers,  aiid 

600  Supply  Corps  officers.  The  plan  may  be 
amended  from  time  to  time  in  the  light  of  ex- 
perience and  as  personnel  shortages  are  over- 
Come. 

The  minimum  discharge  age  of  an  officer  on 
active  duty  since  September  1,  1939,  under  this 
system,  is  36;  for  an  inductee  in  the  first  draft  call 
it  is  39.  It  has  not  been  revealed  whether  this 
system  will  be  extended  after  the  war  for  gen- 
eral demobilization  or  whether  another  system 
similar  to  the  Army's  will  be  developed. 

Marine  Covps  Point  SyslMi.  The  point  ^sCem 
just  announced  by  the  Navy  for  discharge  of 
older  personnel  will  not  apply  to  the  Marine 
Corps.  So  far  there  hsjs  been  no  official  announce- 
ment of  any  point  system  for  the  Marines.  How- 
ever, the  following  memorandum  from  USMC 
Air  Station*  Cherry  Point,  N.  C.  dated  8  July 
1945  may  or  may  not  indicate  how  the  Marines 
intend  to  handle  this  problem: 
Memorandum  67-45  U.S.  Marine  Corps, 

Disdtarge  therefrom.  Point  System. 

1.  Unlisted  personnel  desiring  discharge  may 
apply  for  same  only  under  the  conditions  set 
forth  herewith: 

(a)  Said  applicant  must  have  a  total  of  100 
points  or  more  in  order  to  qualify  for  dis- 
charge. 

(b)  The  application  must  be  accompanied  by 
the  enioretag  sifBature  of  the  Conmiander- 
in-Chief,  a!u  members  of  Congress,  the  ap- 
plicant's commanding  general,  his  wife, 
mother-in-law,  and  all  legitimate  offspring. 

2.  The  aforesaid  point  system  will  !)«  com- 
puted according  to  the  foUcmii^  i 

(a)  One  point  for  each  4h|«»fi^ 
performed  overseas»« 

(b)  One  point  for  each  ptrtid^alioil  fia  fiv» 
rtiajor  campaigns. 

(c)  One  point  for  each  Purple  Heart  received. 

(d)  One  point  for  each  group  of  10  children. 

(e)  One  point  for  each  lady  friend  (the  term, 
*'lady  friend,"  does  not  include  «iMla» 
spoolcs  or  any  other  tropical  or  sub«tr^ical 


(f)  One  point  may  be  awarded  for  each  par- 
ticipation in  any  of  the  following  named 
engagements:  1)  Boxer  Rebellion.  2) 
Spanish- American  War.  3)  Battle  of  Bull 
Run.  4)  Boston  Tea  Party.  S)  Eogagprnent 
with  the  Tripoli  Pirates. 

3.  Deceased  persons  may  apply  only  in  the 
event  that  proof  is  offered  to  the  effect  that  the 
party  in  question  has  no  special  aptitude  which 
can  be  used  to  full  advantage  or  in  any  other 
way  utilized  by  the  Marine  Corps.  (Any  viola- 
tion of  this  ruling  will  result  in  immediate  Court 
Martial  of  the  applicant.) 

4.  Any  member  of  the  Corps  who  has  lost  all 
his  extremities  due  to  enemy  action  will  be  taken 
into  consideration  under  certain  extenuating  cir- 
cumstances. However,  due  to  the  laxity  shown 
in  tills  case,  the  applicant  will  be  passed  on  by  a 
special  board  of  review  to  be  set  up  immediately 
upon  the  cornpletion  of  the  present  conflict. 

5.  Also,  in  order  to  qualify,  the  applicant  must 
have  at  least  32  teeth,  have  been  awarded  four 
(4)  Good  Conduct  Medals  and  carry  the  Order 
of  the  Bath,  Congressional  Medal  of  Honor,  and 
be  a  member  in  good  standing  in  the  Royal  Order 
of  the  Buffalo.  Then,  if  his  commanding  general 
sees  fit  to  dispense  with  his  services,  he  may 
upon  request  file  application  for  discharge. 

6.  Any  applicant  who  in  the  past  25  years  has 
had  cause  to  report  to  side  bay  automatically 
becomes  disqualified  for  discharge  unlen  hit 
ment  was  such  as  to  cause  his  demise. 

By  Commans  or  Lt.  Gck. 
USS  Concrvt*.  This  title  no  longer  may  be  \ 
as  the  facetious  designation  of  a  Navy 
building  as  it  may  be  confused  with  one  of  the 
units  of  the  Navy's  ''crockery  fleet,"  a  flotOla 
made  up  enthrely  of  ecmerele  ahipe»  hum  to 
serve  steel  And  iMMUfiltg  aaHMi  ilijjii  m  &IKf 
Quartz. 

The  "Green  Dragons,"  as  they  iie  kpowa  to 
Navy  men,  are  not  as  efficient  as  wood  or  steel 
ships  and  they  can't  take  sharp  impacts  such  as 
bumping  against  piers  and  lighters.  They  were 
introduced  during  the  first  World  War  and  were 
received  with  some  scorn,  but  improvements 
have  been  made  in  their  construction  and  they 
now  serve  as  floating  supply  depots  in  mobile 
bases  in  the  western  Paciflc 

The  faster  cargo  and  provision  ships  make  the 
run  out  to  the  advanced  base  where  they  transfer 
their  cargo  to  the  crockery  fleet,  enabling  them 
to  return  imntediately  to  the  U.S.  for  another 
load  without  awaiting  piecemeal  discharge  of 
their  cargo. 

Other  concrete  ships  are  being  used  as  floating 
ice  cream  parlors  for  smaller  ships  such  as  DE^, 
minesweepers,  submarine  chasers,  tugs  and  small 
landing  craft  which  previously  had  no  access  to 

ice  cream. 

DrMlglngt.  Destroyers,  screening  the  main  forces, 
have  been  taking  the  brunt  of  beating  by  suicide 
planes.  The  Japs,  winging  south  from  Kyushu, 
would  go  after  the  first  ships  they  sighted  in- 
stead of  continuing  on  to  richer  hunting  grounds. 
At  last  the  skipper  of  a  well-battered  can  be- 
came discouraged.  The  diip*s  sign  painter  was 
summoned  and  half  an  hour  later  a  huge  red  sign 
was  unfurled  for  all  approadihig  Japs  to  see: 
TASK  FORCE  58  TwaMTY-nvs  isius  gnAnoT  arkmi. 

WHY  STOP.  HEBE? 

■  Younger  and  less  experienced  enlisted  men 
who  wish  to  l)ecome  naval  aviators  have  an  op- 
portunity for  college  training  and  a  chance  for  a 
commission  under  the  Naval  Aviation  Prepara- 
tory Program.  To  qualify,  the  candidate  should 
be  under  20,  unmarried  and  agree  to  remain  so 
until  commissioned,  have  a  rating  no  higher  than 
Sic,-  be  a  high -school  graduate,  and  have  a  high 
score  on  the  General  Classification  test.  Applica- 
tion should  be  made  to  the  CO  under  the  terms 
of  BuPers  Circular  Letter  No.  179-45. 

■  Over  713  (merman  submarines  were  sunk  by 
the  Allies  during  the  EUiropean  war,  at  least  151 
of  them  by  American  forces,  and  the  score  un- 
doubtedly goes  higher  because  of  the  policy  of 
requiring  definite  proof  of  a  sinking  before  credit 
is  given.  During  the  last  weeks  of  that  war  Ger- 
many made  a  frantic  gamble,  throwing  a  formi- 
dable pacic  of  y*hoate  infte  the  Atluitie  with  vt^ 
ders  to  blanket  the  East  Coast  of  the  t7.  It 
didn't  work. 

■  Comdr.  James  J.  Tunney.  the  former  hea\T- 
weight  champ,  has  completed  his  mission  as  Offi- 
cer in  Chprie  el  the  Navy's  physical  fitness  pro- 
gram and  hu  been  returned  to  inactive  duty. 


*'^'^Tt  in  a  I  f  lo  m 

UNiVERWY  Of  MKHIGAN 


Tipefed  recently  in  the  Eastern  Junior  C 
Californian  youngster  who  won  the  foi 


O 

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en 

6 
Q. 

CD 


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iy  Sgt  TOM  SHIHAM 
YANK  $100  Wrtlw  ' 

FOR  most  people  back  home  the  end  of  the  war 
will  mean  the  return  of  tenderloin  steak, 
gasoline,  imported  sardines.  War  Bond  in- 
vestments, Madeleine  Carroll,  Bob  Feller,  Carib- 
bean cruises,  Labor  Day  week  ends,  real  estate 
salesmen,  Wrigley's  chewing  gum,  beer  cans, 
James  Stewart,  silk  stockings,  oil  burners,  elec- 
tric refrigerators,  polite  waiters,  hair  pins,  sons, 
fathers  and  husbands.  For  the  United  States 
Lawn  Tennis  Association,  however,  it  will  mean 
more  than  anything  else  the  return  of  America 
to  international  Davis  Cup  competition. 

The  last  time  the  Davis  Cup  was  up  on  the 
blodc  we  were  represented  by  a  team  that  con- 
sisted of  Bobby  Riggs,  Joe  Hunt,  Frank  Parker 
and  Jack  Kramer.  That  was  in  1939,  just  before 
the  outbreak  of  the  European  war  brought  in- 
ternational tennis  to  a  standstill.  For  the  sake  of 
the  record,  the  U.  S.  contingent  was  beaten  in 
the  finals  by  Australia,  three  matches  to  two. 

The  only  players  from  the  1939  team  who  will 
be  available  for  Davis  Cup  play  after  the  war 
will  be  Kramer,  now  an  ensign  in  the  Navy,  and 
Parker,  who  is  a  sergeant  in  the  Army  stationed 
in  the  Pacific.  Riggs,  also  with  the  Army  in  the 
Fadfic,  turned  professional  before  he  was  in- 
ducted. Joe  Hunt  was  killed  while  he  was  flying 
for  the  Navy. 

The  USLTA  people,  sweating  out  the  next 
American  Davis  Cup  lineup,  also  figure  on  such 
experienced  prewar  hands  as  Ted  Schroeder,  Lt. 
Don  McNeill,  Lt.  Gardner  MuUoy,  Elwood  Cooke 
and  Bill  Talbert.  The  team  may  also  include  a 
oouple  of  players  you've  never  heard  of.  If  so,  it 
is  a  safe  bet  that  these  new  players  will  be  prod- 
ucts of  the  USLTA  replacement  training  system 
known  as  the  Junior  Davis  Squad. 

The  Junior  Davis  Cup  program  is  directed  by 
a  committee  consisting  of  Dr.  S.  Ellsworth 
Davenport,  Major  James  H.  Bishop  of  Culver 
Military  Academy  and  Alrick  Man,  who  acts 
as  general  manager  and  non-playing  captain 
of  the  squad.  Every  year  the  committee  selects 
six  or  10  youngsters  from  various  sections  of 
the  country  and  brings  them  East  during  the 
season  of  big-time  tournaments.  That  gives  them 
an  oRpurtunity  to  play  against  and  to  watch  the 
best  eompetitioD  and  to  get  a  few  wedu  of  in- 


a  former  tournament  player  now  in  the  real 
estate  business  on  Long  Islipid,  .arranges  trans- 
portation for  the  kids,  wrangles  ih^^m  invitatioiis 
to  spare  rooms  in  the  homes  of  tennis  enthusi- 
asts and  sees  to  it  that  they  put  in  the  required 
hours  of  practice  instead  of  goofing  off  on  the 
clubhouse  porch  or  getting  into  too  many  sets  of 
mixed  doubles. 

When  you  ask  Man  about  the  young  tennis 
prospects  who  have  come  up  since  we've  been 
away,  he  mentions  Herbert  Flam,  Hugh  Stewart 
and  Henry  Fister  from  California,  Buddy 
Behrens  from  Fort  Lauderdale,  Fla.,  Edward  Ray 
and  Bernard  Bartzen  from  Texas,  Fred  Burton 
Smith,  Jr.,  Richard  Savitt  and  the  Mathey 
brothers,  McDonald  and  Dean.  He  says  that 
Charles  W.  Oliver  of  Perth  Amboy,  N.  J.,  who 
ranked  eighth  in  the  men's  national  singles  list 
last  year,  is  the  best  Eastern  prospect. 

"As  usual,  the  best  ones  keep  coming  from 
California,"  he  says.  "Just  like  all  the  best  ones 
in  recent  years — Vines,  Budge,  Mako,  Stoefen. 
It's  not  only  the  California  weather,  which  lets 
them  play  all  the  year  around.  The  competition 
out  there  is  stiffer  and  the  people  in  back  of 
tennis  in  California  give  young  talent  all  possi- 
ble encouragement.  They  see  to  it  that  a  prom- 
ising kid  gets  good  instruction  and  plays  against 
the  best  older  men. 

"The  outstanding  youngster  in  the  American 
tennis  picture  right  now  is  Jinx  Falkenberg's 
brother,  Bob.  He's  in  the  Army  now.  I  think  he 
can  make  the  next  Davis  Cup  team  easily,  even 
though  he'll  be  competing  against  more  expe- 
rienced players  like  Schroeder,  McNeill,  Mul- 
loy  and  Cooke.  He  was  the  No.  1  junior  and  the 
Na  6  senior  ranking  U.S.  player  last  season. 
This  layoff  in  the  Army  won't  hurt  him.  He  has 
a  sound  game  fundamentally  and  it  won't  take 
him  long  to  regain  his  form." 

Lloyd  Budge,  the  famous  teaching  profes- 
sional who  developed  his  own  brother,  Don,  into 
a  national  champion,  has  been  watching  Man's 
Junior  Davis  Cuppers  at  work  recently  at  the 
West  Side  Tehnis  Club  in  Forest  Hills,  N.  Y. 
He  thinks  that  the  only  real  Davis  Cup  prospect 
in  the  current  cycle  of  replacements  is  Behrens, 
who  has  won  two  national  boys'  titles. 

"Buddy  is  only  15  years  old  but  I  saw  him  take 
a  set  frcun  Francesco  Segura,  the  South  Ameri* 
can,  in  Florida  last  wint^,**  Budge  says.  *Trhat*8 


tensiiled  coaching  from  tcip-ranking  players.  Man,,— tfluife  an  achievement  for  a  boy  that  age.  Sogura   -  si  ^  ^ 

'  original  from 


C-oogle 


is  one  of  the  best  around  this  year.  Behrens  has 
everything  oiy  brother  Don  had  at  15  and  he 
hits  $rli^^  biOl  Oian  Don  did.*' 

Unfortunately,!  Behrens  and  the  other  Junior 
Davis  Cup  recruits  are  not  seeing  and  playing 
against  the  type  of  tennis  on  the  Big  Apple  this 
season  that  you  would  call  Grade  A.  Like  college 
football  and  major  league  baseball,  tournament 
tennis  in  the  U.  S.  is  far  below  par  as  a  insult 
of  the  Selective  Service  Act.  The  two  best  men 
players  serving  the  ball  are  Talbert,  who  has 
won  the  National  Clay  Courts  championship, 
and  Cooke,  who  defeated  Sidney  B.  Wood,  Jr.. 
in  the  finals  of  the  Eastern  Clay  Courts  tourna- 
ment The  tip-off  on  the  kind  of  tennis  being 
staged  back  home  is  that  Wood  and  Frank  Shields 
are  playing  semi-flnal  and  final  matches.  Wood 
and  Shields  were  finalists  at  Wimbledon  15  and 
14  years  ago.  respectively. 

Looking  back  over  the  Junior  Davis  Cuppers 
developed  in  the  past,  Maif  thinks  that  the  great- 
est of  them  was  Frank  Kovacs.  now  in  a  hospital 
in  Camp  Lee,  Va.,  after  a  stretch  in  the  Army 
in  the  Southwest  Pacific.  He  is  suffering  from 
high  blood  pressure.  The  doctors  would  not  per- 
mit him  to  play  an  exhibition  match  against  Bill 
Tilden  at  Camp  Lee  a  while  ago. 

"I  don't  believe  that  even  "Tilden  in  his  great- 
est days  had  a  repertoire  of  strokes  like  Kovacs," 
Man  says.  "But  Frank  refused  to  take  his  tennis 
seriously.  I  remember  one  time  after  a  tourna- 
ment at  the  Marion  Cricket  Club  when  we  were 
talking  and  he  complained  to  me  because  not 
enough  big  time  players  went  in  for  fun.  I  told 
him  that  he'd  have  to  make  up  his  mind  either 
to  play  tennis  for  fun  or  to  play  it  with  the 
intention  of  becoming  the  greatest  tennis  star 
in  the  world.  He  did  well  but  not  as  well  as  he 
should  have  done  because  fun  was  too  important 
to  him." 

Holcombe  Ward,  president  of  the  USLTA, 
once  wrote  Kovacs  the  following  letter: 

"My  dear  boy:  Your  deplorable  clowning  on 
the  court  which  has  marred  the  current  tennis 
season  will  not  be  tolerated  in  the  coming  na- 
tional championships  at  Forest  Hills.  We  strong- 
ly urge  you  to  be  serious." 

Kovacs  replied: 

"My  dear 'Mr.  Ward:  1  shall  try  very  hard  to 
be  serious  on  the  court  during  the  coming 
tournament  But  something  tells  me  I  shall  not 
succeed.** 


(JNlVEEiSITVOf  MtCHJGAN 


°  L 

0) 


AY  IT  DOUBLE 


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